Foundlings
by Virgo
Summary: Set between JA7 and JA8, Obi's lessons on the path of the Jedi have been going well. After a test by the Council, he and Qui are assigned the task of escorting two Initiates for a visit home, as well as helping them achieve their potential as Jedi.
1. Before the Council

Title: Foundlings  
Author: astraevirgo  
Timeframe: Between JA#7 and JA#8  
Characters: Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn, Maela Nuccio (OC), and Lilia Rhyne (OC)  
Genre: Adventure, Drama  
Keywords:  
Summary: Who decides that someone should be a Jedi? Who sets an initiate upon their path? In the aftermath of Melinda/Daan, Obi-Wan has to learn something of philosophy and what it means to be Jedi.  
Notes: I write this to give my answers to some questions of what I ponder about the Jedi. This story is about a third to a fourth of the way done, and if I post one chapter a week, I plan to be another third of the way done by the time I run out of chapters. So, enjoy, and read on.

_There is no emotion;  
there is peace.  
There is no ignorance;  
there is knowledge.  
There is no passion;  
there is serenity.  
There is no death;  
there is the Force.  
- The Jedi Code_

* * *

Obi-Wan Kenobi stood in front of the doors that lead into the Council Chamber. His chest restricted and he fought down panic remembering suddenly that once, he did not belong here. And because of that breach, he wondered if he would ever be allowed to leave these walls again. Obi-Wan cast a glance at his Master, who was sitting closest to the door on the velveteen couches that lined the arch walls of the antechamber. Obi-Wan reminded himself that his Master had claimed him as his Padawan, that he had returned to his rightful place in the Jedi Order, and that he had to breathe. He glanced at his master again, and tried to guess if his Master knew his anxiety, or whether his master had any of his own, but Qui-Gon was giving away nothing. Obi-Wan blew out a noisy breath.

He could not go into the Chamber with his emotions in such turmoil; he searched his mind for a light meditative technique and stumbled upon one taught to initiates. He drew in a deep breath, closed his eyes, and made himself subject to his surroundings. The first thing he noticed was the gentle hum that was the daily Temple life. Not too long ago there was silence, laced with fear, and the sheer normalcy of the hum put a smile on Obi-Wan's lips. Before he could complete the exercise – before he could assess his sense of taste, smell, touch, and body – the doors opened.

The doors opened away from Obi-Wan, and in a moment Qui-Gon was at his side, leading the way into the center of the dais. Obi-Wan squinted momentarily against the sunlight illuminating the room, but his eyes adjusted, and the Council was called to order.

"Studied, you have, the ways of the Jedi, Padawan Kenobi," called Master Yoda, his voice projecting across the room. Obi-Wan startled. The Council was addressing him first.

"Yes, Masters, I have studied the ways of the Jedi. But my studies are not done." Obi-Wan spoke carefully, willing himself to be heard the cavernous room. Obi-Wan had been researching in the archives since his probationary reinstatement into the Order. He was looking for commitment to the Jedi path – with a grueling reading list that had been supplied by the collective efforts of the Council.

"Even I have much to learn, Padawan Kenobi," said Master Windu. Obi-Wan was a bit surprised and couldn't help but be skeptical. Surely Master Windu had read all of the tomes on that list. "We have called you here today for two reasons. The first is to learn of the progress of your studies."

"I am ready, Masters," Obi-Wan replied. He shifted into a more comfortable position while remaining at attention, and fought down a tendril of fear. Had he studied hard enough?

"What is emotion?" asked Master Plo Koon. Obi-Wan turned and faced the Jedi Master who face was covered by a forked mask. Obi-Wan remembered speculating as an initiate what was really under the mask. But that wasn't important now; he had to answer the question. He breathed deeply.

"Ancient Masters say emotion is something you cannot stop. It is something you cannot predict. Emotions change your body, and its responses to emotion can help or hurt you." Obi-Wan's mind ran through the hundreds of pages he had read and faced the reality of this as he still fought down fear.

"How can they help?" demanded Master Eeth Koth. "The Code seems unambiguous. It says that there is no emotion, there is peace."

"Emotions have two parts," Obi-Wan replied. He fought to keep his voice strong, and he had been doing so well until Master Koth had challenged him. He turned to face the Master, and looked into his eyes, past the tattoos and crown of horns. "There is the psychological," Obi-Wan paused to make sure he said the word correctly, "and the sensible. Psychological emotions cause anxiety, cannot be controlled, and cause disturbance in the Force. Emotional Sensibility is what gives the Jedi his gifts: it is the receptiveness of impression, the refined awareness, and the ability to feel changes in environment." Obi-Wan was proud of himself, just a little, for remembering the arguments of the Ancient Jedi so well.

There was a momentary silence after his answer, his recitation of catechism, and Obi-Wan was suddenly aware of the support Qui-Gon was giving him. His master had moved closer to his shoulder, and while he was not touching, Obi-Wan _knew_. The questioning continued from Master Windu: "What is peace?"

"Peace is the absence of war." Obi-Wan paused again. There were answers he had known from the crèche, but then there were the true answers. With all their ambiguity. "It is the absence of mental stress or anxiety. It is the absence of hostilities. Without psychological emotions, we would not have war. But those emotions exist, and not all control them. And so the Jedi use our sensibilities to prevent what therefore must exist."

"What is ignorance?"

"The condition of being uneducated, unaware, or uninformed," Obi-Wan rattled. It was the simplest answer, but he knew that the Masters would not be satisfied with that. Ki-Adi-Mundi asked for clarification.

"The Ancient Masters," Obi-Wan paused for a moment, trying to remember the exact wording, "say that it is only ignorance if you believe you possess all the knowledge. The smallest initiate is not ignorant, they say, but merely uneducated, because they are aware of all they must learn."

"Then, what is knowledge, Padawan Kenobi?" Ki-Adi-Mundi demanded. "If one knows they are uneducated, is that all that knowledge is?"

Obi-Wan paused, sure he was walking into a trap. "Knowledge can be the mere possession of the fact. But knowledge is more. Knowledge is awareness and understanding through study, a familiarity with the universe."

"What is passion?" asked Master Adi Gallia.

"An abandoned display of powerful emotion." Obi-Wan knew these answers in his sleep. He was taught as an infant. What it meant, though, he struggled with.

"Such as?" Master Adi continued.

"Love, such that violence is evoked. Anger, such that you feel justified in taking another's life. Jealousy, a combination of them both." Obi-Wan had met those emotions, outside the Temple walls. He wished he hadn't, but he knew that he must again to help the Universe as a Jedi should. The writings of the Ancient Jedi said as much. The writings said more than that, and Obi-Wan was struggling to understand.

"And so, what is serenity?"

"A Jedi must be unaffected by emotional disturbance, in order to work for the good of all."

"In your opinion, is avoiding passion in favor of serenity easy, Padawan Kenobi?"

"It is a daily struggle. Passion is psychological emotion that is not controlled, that becomes all consuming and clouds the judgment of the Jedi. Passion created and destroyed great works."

"Your opinion, we sought. Not that of the Ancient Jedi." Master Yoda spoke softly, but Obi-Wan felt the admonition. He bowed his head.

"Yes, Masters. Serenity is a lofty goal. I am not sure I can reach it." Obi-Wan could not meet the Master's eyes. He had been passionate when he left the Order for the Young.

"Admirable is honesty, Padawan. And what is death?" Master Yoda, his teacher from the crèche, projected comfort. Obi-Wan knew that he was doing well. He concentrated on what he knew to be the ends of the questions.

"Death is when the body no longer functions." Cesari. Her image came unbidden in Obi-Wan's mind, a reflection of all that was lost on Melida/Daan, despite all that had been gained. Obi-Wan closed his eyes, and took a deep breath, trying to fight down the sorrow. "Death is when you stop living." He knew there was one more question.

"What is the Force?" queried Master Even Piell. Obi-Wan turned to him, seeking his large droopy ears and scarred, and spoke.

"The Force is all around us, flowing through us. It is what binds us together, as beings as well as Jedi. This connection between all is the opposite of death. If you die, you will be remembered. If you stop living, it always lives." Reciting what he truly believed helped relieve the sorrow.

"The Jedi Code is the path of the Jedi," Master Windu. "It acknowledges the stages of the journey of the Jedi. But it does not state the first step on the path."

Master Yoda stood from his chair and walked two steps towards the Master/Padawan team. "Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi, to become a Jedi Master, who sets the initiate upon the path?"

Obi-Wan was struck dumb. This was nothing he had been taught, this was nothing he had read, but Master Yoda was asking it. The questions were supposed to be over! Obi-Wan thought quickly, his eyes darting back and forth across the room, as if looking for an answer, or an escape. "The Masters?" Obi-Wan said, unsure. The Masters taught the Jedi Code, shaped Initiate into Padawan into Knight, they were the guides on the journey, did they not tell the student to take the first step?

"Wrong, you are," said Master Yoda. Obi-Wan's heart sank, though there was no disappointment in Yoda's voice. "Brings us then to the second reason well called you here." Yoda turned and plodded back to his seat. As he was settling in, his gaze turned to Qui-Gon. Obi-Wan let his shoulders sag. "Two initiates, requests to visit their families, they have."

"That is not unusual," said Qui-Gon. Obi-Wan smiled slightly, remembering the visits with his family during his time as an initiate. They were short, but they were worth it.

"Unusual, it is, that both initiates you did sponsor."

"I see," said Qui-Gon, his voice taking on the tone of amusement. "I suspect it will be my duty to chaperone them." Obi-Wan grinned. Sponsors, if they were available, were the traditional chaperones, as they already knew the families.

"Take Obi-Wan, you will. Ismaela Nuccio and Liliana Rhyne must be escorted home. Return them safely," Yoda paused, his ears rising in mirth, "and we will discuss further missions for your team."

Qui-Gon bowed, and Obi-Wan followed, and they moved to exit the chamber. "Wait, you will, Qui-Gon," called Yoda. "Additional instructions we have for you. Dismissed, though, you are, Obi-Wan."

Obi-Wan exited, fighting down anxiety. He thought he had done so well! What would the Council have to say to Qui-Gon that they couldn't say to him? It wasn't fair, Obi-Wan thought. It wasn't fair and they still didn't trust him.

Qui-Gon, still standing in the middle of the Council dais, kept his gaze steady in the direction of Mace and Master Yoda. "Speak with you, we had to," said Yoda, his voice low and rumbling. "Preparing for departure, you should be, I know. But these initiates you sponsored, problems they have. Flaws in their personality prevent them from being Jedi, from reaching full potential."

Qui-Gon was surprised. "I remember when I sponsored both Maela and Lilia into the Order. The tests indicated that these girls had powerful potential. Why wouldn't they be Jedi?" Obi-Wan, as well, had vast potential. Qui-Gon felt a small twinge of guilt, remembering how he almost denied him.

"Initate Nuccio," said Mace Windu, speaking up, "is extremely powerful in the Living Force. She almost seems empathic, but she has trouble with the art of tact, never knowing when her truthful statements are hurtful or unwanted. This fault can be fatal – she has little _compassion_ for all of her sympathy, and an apathetic Jedi we cannot have. As Obi-Wan was telling us: receptiveness of impression is what allows a Jedi to create peace. She is not receptive."

Qui-Gon found he understood the concern. The idea that seemingly pathetic life forms could make a world of difference was one he struggled in teaching Obi-Wan. Maela would only be eight, just out of the crèche. It was a large flaw to have developed so young. "What would you have me do, venerable Masters?"

Master Windu smirked, recognizing the hint of insubordination in Qui-Gon's voice. "Have Ismaela become friends with Liliana. Lilia won't stand for Maela's judgments; Maela should learn they hurt many and when used thus rarely help."

"Time and a place, there is, for everything," intoned Yoda. "Young ones must learn this. A very important lesson for some. Friendship should solve the problem, but extra guidance may be needed."

Qui-Gon nodded his understanding. It wouldn't be overly hard to make sure the two girls spent time together, getting to know one another. They would, after all, have to share a room on a transport. "And what fault jeopardizes Initiate Rhyne's future?"

"Long line of Jedi in her family. Close to them she is. Great Uncle was Master Younglas – may he be one with the Force." Yoda tapped his gimmer stick on the floor for emphasis. "She has been greatly affected by his death."

Qui-Gon was quite aware of her familial ties, and was deeply saddened when he heard of the great master's death – the master and his family had been kind to him. "Is she aware of how he died?"

"She knows he was on a mission, and that he was betrayed. Her aunt told her as much. But Lilia no longer trusts people. Trust is essential to a Jedi's life – her mind and motive are pure, and she will be a master swordswomen, but without trust…" Mace Windu lifted his arm in a shrug.

Qui-Gon had lost his trust before. In both Xanatos and Obi-Wan. He looked down at the floor briefly. "She cannot be a Jedi Knight, dedicated to serving the galaxy in the name of peace." He was not so much a fool now to realize that he had lost an edge when he lost his trust.

Mace clarified, "Lilia would never see peace, because she doesn't trust people enough to believe it can exist."

"How may I help Lilia?" It was unfortunate, thought Qui-Gon. She had lost her trust so young with out years of experience to fall back on.

Master Yoda spoke up once again. "Become friends with Ismaela, she shall. If she can trust Maela, learn that she can trust all people, she will. Council them to listen to one another. If frustrated, they are, council them separately. They should learn if all goes well." It was an optimistic proclamation.

Qui-Gon snorted in an undignified manner. "Such little girls to have such big problems. And you wait until I've agreed to care for them before to tell me about this."

Mace smiled benignly. "You'll have Obi-Wan's help. You'll be fine. One standard hour, practice room eight." He rose and handed Qui-Gon a datapad. "These are your travel arrangements, and permission to use the biological archives."

Qui-Gon bowed, knowing a dismissal when he heard one. He turned and exited through the majestic doors, and nearly bumped into his Padawan waiting there.

"Was that test?" Obi-Wan asked, his anxiety and urgency showing in his voice. "What did they ask you?"

"I believe it was, in a way," said Qui-Gon, smiling softly. "And they didn't _ask_ me anything, they told me about the initiates." Qui-Gon paused, and allowed Obi-Wan to compose himself, absorb this information. "You answered their questions admirably, Padawan. I believe they asked us to chaperone the initiates so you would discover the answer to their last question, and live what you have learned of the Code." They stepped into an elevator, and Qui-Gon pushed the correct number. "They wish to expand your knowledge of the code beyond that of the average Padawan your age. I believe it's a sign of trust."

Obi-Wan knew better than to allow his jaw to drop, but he couldn't help but be agape. "They didn't send me out because they didn't trust me to hear what they had to say?" asked Obi-Wan.

"They sent you out, Obi-Wan, because what they had to say was confidential – the progress of fellow Learners." Qui-Gon turned to his apprentice, slightly. "But I will tell you what you need to know when the time comes. It seems that our Chaperoning job will not be as simple as it seems. They want us to help teach Initiates Nuccio and Ryhne a lesson, as well as escort them home."

"What kind of lesson, Qui-Gon?" asked Obi-Wan. The elevator slowed, reaching the floor that their quarters were situated.

"A lesson in self-control for one and a lesson in trust for the other." Qui-Gon said as the doors open and he stepped off. Obi-Wan's ears turned pink. Leave it to the Council to rub his nose in his own failings. He hurried to follow Qui-Gon.

"When are we leaving?" asked Obi-Wan, as he came to a halt next to Qui-Gon, as his Master opened the door. Qui-Gon handed Obi-Wan the datapad.

"You tell me," he said, as he headed towards the kitchenette and began making himself a cup of tea.

Obi-Wan walked slowly across the room, scrolling through the contents of the datapad, making his way towards his favorite of the lazichairs. "It looks as if we leave late tomorrow. There are directions to prepare for this trip like I would any mission… and to teach the initiates the same procedure."

Qui-Gon poured boiling water into two mugs, and began seeping the tea. "That includes researching the destination, does it not?"

"Of course it does, Master. I suppose that's why we have permission to access the biological archive." Obi-Wan moved from the lazichair to the terminal across the room. Qui-Gon moved to take his apprentice's spot, stopping along the way to hand his Padawan his mug. "The instructions say that we're to give the initiates the family information of the other girl, so that they can learn more about the other's family before spending several days with them."

"Sounds appropriate," said Qui-Gon, sitting back. "Prepare the datapads with the appropriate information. We're to meet the initiates in fifty minutes or so."

"I'll need you to generate the excuse note, so that Ismaela, Liliana, and I can collect our studies to do while in transit." Obi-Wan said, eyes scanning the computer screen, carefully selecting the pertinent data for the initiate's datapads.

"Call them Maela and Lilia, Obi-Wan. That's what their family's called them, that's what they call themselves. You will have to collect lessons, but I think that daily studies would be more appropriate, for such young minds." Qui-Gon sipped his tea. "You should do daily lessons as well," Qui-Gon mused aloud. "It would give them a good example of discipline."

Obi-Wan groaned inside. Daily lessons meant much more work over the course of the mission. Most times, you only got lessons to be attempted in transit home, but sometimes, on boring missions like diplomatic affairs, daily lessons were more appropriate. To keep discipline. But Obi-Wan couldn't complain… he was accused far too often of not having enough discipline these days.

"How old are they, Padawan?" Qui-Gon asked.

"Maela is eight, Lilia is ten." Obi-Wan sighed. "Maela _just_ turned eight. She probably doesn't even maintain her own schedule yet, outside of the clan."

"The Council informs me that she is very independent, Padawan," said Qui-Gon. His lips twitched. They didn't say it, exactly, but it was definitely implied. "Do not judge her by her age. But we will have to be aware of it in daily tasks. We should collect reports from their physical instructors, to see what katas they can perform, and to get permission to take training sabers. We'll ask before we meet them in the practice hall. I have a feeling we're going to see them duel." Qui-Gon drained his mug and stood to place it in its proper receptacle. "Lilia and Maela were brought to the Order in my arms." He smiled thoughtfully. "It's always interesting to see how the infants grow."


	2. Younglings

Author's Note: Hey, all, I've decided that I'm going to post on Wednesdays... which is when I posted the first chapter by date, but that was actually nearly midnight on that Wednesday. So, here you go. I debated where to do my thank yous... I think at the beginning slows down the flow of the story less than at the end... but tell me what you think.

Thank you to: **Knight Queen**, **Tiamath **Thanks for the spell check... I don't have a beta who has read the books., **beth, Kenobi-girl1, A.NuEvil, Pirate Rhi **To be honest, most of my research was a dictionary...;), **Dora-the-elda **We'll get to their lessons, but I'm not sure they'll be what you had in mind...

On to the story... see you all next week.

* * *

Obi-Wan wished – as he stood with his feet shoulder-width apart, hands holding datapads clasped behind his back –he could have meditated before meeting the initiates. He was emotionally exhausted, he realized, from the questioning that he had submitted to in front of the Council. Too many of his hopes and dreams were wrapped up in what those twelve masters thought of him, he groaned mentally. He just hoped he was alert enough to deal with these initiates.

Doors opened to Obi-Wan's right, just past Qui-Gon, and he turned to watch two initiates lead in blindfolded by their helmets. The Padawans helping Master Yoda that day placed the two girls squarely on the starting marks, and backed away as the initiates took their fighting stances. Obi-Wan knew that right now all they could hear was their own breathing, waiting.

"Begin," bellowed the green master. Khiss, kchnk. They lighted their sabers nearly simultaneously, but the taller initiate managed to swing and connect with the smaller initiate's saber just as the smaller put up her guard.

"Which one is which?" whispered Obi-Wan. He stood just behind his Master's elbow, trying not to distract the younglings.

"You tell me, Obi-Wan," said Qui-Gon, his eyes and voice dull. Obi-Wan wondered what he did wrong. "Use your powers of observation, and compare it to what you read about the initiates."

Bantha dung, Obi-Wan thought. He really wished he had had time to meditate. He rubbed his eyes and studied the initiates as they thrust and parried with their sabers as well as the Force. The shorter one was doing all she could to fend off attack, but was obviously less skilled with her 'saber. The obvious thing would be to assume that Maela would be the shorter, less skilled one, but you couldn't always trust the obvious. Obi-Wan watched the shorter girl. She lifted her saber up in the fifth parry – horizontal, high above her head. When she "looked" up at her saber, strands of auburn hair where visible below the bottom edge of the helmet. The smaller girl was Maela, because Lilia had brown hair.

"Lilia currently has the upper hand," whispered Obi-Wan. His master obviously knew which girl was which, no need to spell it out. "She is quite good. She seems to know what Maela is going to do before she does it."

"I believe," said Qui-Gon, "that she is using some precognitive techniques." He studied the two girls. "Lilia is using some advanced techniques for her age, but Maela is only average. We may have to work with them separately on the trip; the gap of their skills is much too wide." The duel moved to a point where a "killing blow" could be used at any moment.

"Enough," demanded Master Yoda. "Remove your helmets, young apprentices." Yoda tapped his gimmer stick to emphasize the sentence. They did, and then bowed to each other, and then to their master, thanking by symbolic gesture for lessons learned. Then the two students presented themselves to Yoda, who studied them carefully.

Obi-Wan finally got a look at them. The taller, more skilled Lilia looked unremarkable. Her brown hair was short, and her long Padawan braid was unadorned, clothes simpler than most. Her deep brown eyes were shadowed, as if she was much older than her ten years.

Maela _looked_ young. Her features were still cubby in a childish way, and her red hair was cut chunky as if she had done it herself. She was smiling softly, face flushed with exertion and hazel eyes flashing despite knowing how badly she had done.

Yoda addressed the young one first. "Defended yourself well with the force, you did, Maela Nuccio." The Master turned to the other. "Impeccable technique, yours was, Lilia Ryhne." The two girls bowed again. Lilia, used to the training exercises, started as if to leave. "One moment, wait," Yoda asked, holding up one three fingered hand. "Noticed our guests, you may have." He gestured towards Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan watched as Maela's eyes widened and returned to normal, and Lilia scowled. Obi-Wan glanced at Qui-Gon, who smiled at their reactions to being caught off guard.

"Going to visit your parents, you are," said Yoda. "Take you, Master Qui-Gon and his Padawan will." Yoda stepped foreword closer to the initiates and handed them each a datapad. "Letters from home, these are. Talk to Master Qui-Gon you must." Master Yoda leaned his gimmer stick and exited the room.

"Good evening, Initiate Lilia. Good evening, Initiate Maela." Qui-Gon bowed very slightly to them, as the initiates bowed deeply in accordance with etiquette. "I am not sure if you are aware, but I was your sponsor into the Order." The two girls said nothing, did not even nod. They must not have known, Obi-Wan thought. "Since your parents have requested that you visit home, my Padawan and I will act as your chaperones. This is my Padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi." Qui-Gon looked behind him, to Obi-Wan, a reassuring glance. "He will help you with your preparations to leave. Now, if you excuse me, I have other preparations to attend to."

Maela watched Qui-Gon cross the room to speak with one of the trainers. Lilia looked out in front of her, eyes unfocused, waiting for Obi-Wan to speak. He took a deep breath, but was interrupted. "You saved the healing crystals of fire!" Maela gushed. "It's my favorite place to meditate."

"I only _helped_…save… them." Obi-Wan had no problem admitting that he had only helped, but the word "save" seemed so… over the top. He wasn't a hero.

"Not too much pride," said Maela approvingly. She grinned, and Obi-Wan didn't know what to think – she seemed to be enjoying his discomfort. Obi-Wan paused, trying to remember what he had to tell the initiates. Lilia bowed.

"Pleasure to meet you, Padawan Kenobi," Lilia intoned solemnly. Bowing was something he could deal with. Obi-Wan watched at Lilia glared at Maela – Maela, being youngest, was supposed to bow first – and Maela bowed grudgingly. Obi-Wan bowed as well.

"Initiates Rhyne and Nuccio, the Council has instructed me to help you prepare for your visit home like Padawans prepare for missions." Obi-Wan hoped he sounded impressive to them. If he was going to help teach them, he was going to have to command their respect. "On a real mission you have to know something about where you're going and what you're doing. You each know enough about your own home, so you'll research the other." Obi-Wan activated the datapads and looked at them briefly to make sure he was handing them to the right girls. "There is information on both the planet and the other's family. You'll be expected to have a working knowledge."

Lilia began to read immediately, Maela casually skimmed through the files. "When do we have to have a … working knowledge by?" The phrase was unfamiliar to the eight-year-old and it sounded funny coming from her lips, almost mocking.

"Before we leave," said Obi-Wan, ignoring the possible connotations of Maela's inflection. "Master Jinn will probably quiz you periodically on the transport, to make sure you know the important things. That's what he does with me." Maela nodded thoughtfully and began to skim backwards through the information; Lilia was still studying the first section.

"You'll have to study that," said Obi-Wan, "but you'll also have to prepare for the mission in other ways. Also on those datapads are your packing lists – make sure that you have everything for your bags. We don't leave until late tomorrow – the travel times are on there too, so if you have any trouble, you can contact me or Qui-Gon. Information to contact us is on there too." Obi-Wan paused, and half observed the initiates as he mentally check off what he needed to talk about. Research, packing, travel, lessons…he had almost forgotten about the lessons.

Obi-Wan pulled a smaller datapad out of his pocket. "I know you have enough datapads, but only one of you has to take care of this." Lilia looked up from her intense study of Maela's biographical information, and Maela remained watching Obi-Wan, despite still scrolling up and down the datapad. "It's a request for your Masters to provide daily lessons for our two week trip. Don't worry about your physical training classes. Master Qui-Gon has taken care of that." Obi-Wan nodded over at Qui-Gon, who stood outside of a range that would interrupt. He carried two training sabers to pack in their general luggage, and a datapad with the daily physical regimes of the initiates. Obi-Wan had been relieved when Qui-Gon took care of talking to the physical training masters – Obi-Wan knew he wouldn't have known what questions to ask.

Obi-Wan shook his head to clear it and turned back to the initiates."So, anyway, you have to share that excuse letter, and take it to all of your Masters tomorrow." Obi-Wan paused again, wondering how he could be sure that happened. He could double check on them, make sure himself lessons did get collected, but how could he be sure that they tried? "Why don't we pick a time for you two to meet tomorrow, so you can go to your Masters and share the datapad?"

"How about after morning meditation and before classes?" said Maela. "Can I hold the datapad?"

"No, I think Lilia should hold it," said Obi-Wan, looking dubiously at the small girl's out-stretched hand. "She's older." As Maela withdrew her hand and let her shoulders sag, Obi-Wan handed Lilia the datapad. "Where should you meet?"

"I meditate in my room," said Lilia.

"I meditate by the Healing Crystals of Fire," said Maela. She was leaning on one of her feet, and swinging the other back and forth, slowly. She wasn't quite over the disappointment yet, Obi-Wan could see. But, he thought, that girl had too much excess energy.

"Well, why don't you meet outside the meditation room that holds the Healing Crystals of Fire?" suggested Obi-Wan. "Remember to meet. You don't have to attend classes, just make sure you go before they start so that they'll have enough time to set aside lessons for you." Obi-Wan sighed. "That's it, I guess." He turned to his master. "Do you have anything to add, Qui-Gon?"

"Not at all, Padawan." Qui-Gon knelt so he was nearer to eye level with the initiates. "You are dismissed. Make sure you follow the directions on your datapads."

"See you tomorrow!" chirped Maela, waving heartily as she skipped towards the locker rooms. Lilia bowed, and turned, and pointedly walked in a dignified manner where she was supposed to be. When they were gone, Qui-Gon put his arm around his Padawan's shoulder and led him out of the practice room as well.

"So, what did you think of the initiates?" he asked.

"Well, Lilia made sure that Maela followed etiquette and bowed after our introductions," Obi-Wan thought aloud, "but then completely ignored any of my further instructions once I handed her the datapad with the information about Maela's family." They moved through the corridors, passing Jedi walking in pairs, and in solitude. "It's like she ignored one kind of courtesy and enforced the other."

"What about Maela?" Qui-Gon said, as he palmed open the door to their suite. Obi-Wan paused, half in the door, thinking. Qui-Gon made a mental note to teach Obi-Wan to report faster in the future, making observations as he goes.

"She seemed very impressed that I was involved in the rescue of the Healing Crystals of Fire. And when I protested that I only helped, she seemed very pleased and said that I had very little pride. I wasn't comfortable with it." Obi-Wan moved into the main room and flopped in his lazichair. "It was strange."

Qui-Gon sat in the remaining lazichair. "She's young, Obi-Wan. I wouldn't take much stock in her…" Qui-gon paused, trying to properly qualify her statement. "compliment." Qui-Gon paused again, drumming his fingers on the arm of his chair. "But she is right. Your lack of pride, I suppose, after saving the temple is quite admirable."

Obi-Wan looked up, surprised. "You think so?"

"I do, Padawan." Qui-Gon stood up and stretched his towering frame. "Now, I think it's time to rest for the night. We have packing to do tomorrow, and formal permission to leave to get from the Council for the initiates."

"What permission to leave?" Obi-Wan stood as well, but his eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

"I guess I didn't tell you," said Qui-Gon, as he walked towards his door. "Initiates have to pass through the Council before they leave the Temple. It's a procedure that was put in place so that all the initiates' whereabouts are known. Very few kidnapping attempts are made by parents that way."

"Parents make kidnapping attempts?" Obi-Wan asked, surprised.

"Not in a couple hundred years, or so." Qui-Gon yawned.

"But I didn't tell the initiates that they had to go before the Council! They won't like the surprise!"

"Well," said Qui-Gon. "Think of it as a twist in the mission. This chaperoning job won't have any. So, they'll have to learn to cope with such inconveniences before we leave."


	3. Preparations

**Chapter**: Preparations

**Author's Note**: Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! Let's see if you guys can scrape together five reviews by next Wednesday.

Kenobi-girl1 -- The Force of Ducks?

Tiamath -- I'm about 15000+ words in, which works out to be about 7 chapters. I'm hitting a point where I'm not quite sure what will happen next, but rest assured, I'm working on it.

Kalorna Enera -- That is probably the best review I have ever received. Thank you! I hope I do not disapoint -- I tried to make the Initiates complicated... if you don't see it in the next two chapters, you'll see it in Chapter 6.

Estel-Elf-Lover -- I guess your wish is my command. As long as I have chapters, I'll update Wednesdays. That's subject to change, based on my pace writing. ;)

Okay, all, Read on!

* * *

Qui-Gon was surprised to find his Padawan awake by the end of his morning meditations. Obi-Wan was not usually an early riser, preferring to stay aslumber for as long as possible when it was permitted. It was a habit that Qui-Gon was sure he would grow out of as he grew up to be the Jedi he was sure Obi-Wan would be… but this early rising was definitely out of character for him. Qui-Gon could sense his uneasiness. 

Obi-Wan stood in the middle of the common room, cradling his mug of tea, frozen by indecision. "Do you think I should check to make sure the initiates meet this morning?"

"Lilia will be early, I'm sure, as she does not trust Maela, and she will make sure that all of her own classes are taken care of." Qui-Gon stepped out of his bedroom, clipping his 'saber on his belt. "Maela, I would worry about. She _is_ only eight years old. No matter how much power she may possess, she is only eight years old."

"Should I check on Maela, then?" Obi-Wan asked. He raised his cooling mug of tea to his lips, and then forgot to drink.

"It would be prudent, Padawan." Qui-Gon picked two ripe muja fruits from a bowl on the counter and retrieved the knife and cutting surface. He began to cut the fruit into bite size pieces for his morning meal. "But I recommend making it clear that you are helping her, not doing it for her. She should get a sense of accomplishment, after all." He delivered these instructions as if they were second nature, nothing to be concerned about.

"When should I check on her?" Obi-Wan seemed to grip his mug a little more, and Qui-Gon observed his nervousness.

"I would check on her during the midday meal, and ask to see her assignment datapad." Qui-Gon took his little bowl of fruit and his tea and moved to sit at the table in their small dining area. "She'll of course be in the commissary, so make sure you get the right initiate." Qui-Gon smiled in a way that Obi-Wan knew he was thinking something wicked.

"What do you mean, right initiate?" Obi-Wan asked, caught off guard.

"Well, with the way you're carrying on, it looks as if you don't care which initiate comes with us, as long as they're prepared sufficiently." Qui-Gon tasted the red fruits and savored them momentarily. "Are you viewing this as one large test from the council?"

Obi-Wan's chest momentarily felt light, and then he recovered from his surprise. "What else could it be, Master?"

"This could be a test," Qui-Gon admitted. "The Council does like to test thing where they can control them, or at least observe them closely. They've done so on our relationship before." The idea of the Council closely observing their Master/Padawan relationship horrified him, and didn't give Obi-Wan any confidence right now. "But more likely," Qui-Gon continued, "they want to see you taking a little bit of responsibility and having a little bit of fun with it. Mentorship isn't supposed to be all regimented work, they're also supposed to be rewarding for both parties."

Obi-Wan quieted for a moment, and slowly moved from his frozen indecision to sit at the table with Qui-Gon. "Is being my master rewarding for you?" he asked softly.

"It always has been, Padawan." Qui-Gon took the moment to look into his Padawan's eyes and reaffirm that. "We won't always agree, we won't always get along, but you are teaching me as much as I am teaching you."

Obi-Wan desperately wanted to know, and knew he shouldn't ask, afraid of the answer. The words jumped out of his mouth, and he was only just able to stymie them. "But what about…"

"We will rebuild. I can't promise it'll be easy," said Qui-Gon. He looked down at his bowl, and realized it was empty. "Come, Padawan, let's spar this morning. You should clear your mind before you go looking for the correct initiates." Obi-Wan smiled briefly at the barb.

"Yes, Master," he said, hiding his excitement. He collected his 'saber from his room, as Qui-Gon cleared his breakfast dishes, and they left the room together.

* * *

The Room of the Healing Crystals of Fire sunk down from the promenade level as a series of wide cushioned steps, steps cushioned by deep blues, blue-greens and sea greens, to the focal point nestled in the center – the red glowing crystals. Initiates were fond of the room, with its balance of warm and cool colors, and the heady silence of their first independent mediations. Maela was sitting on one of the lowest steps, close to the crystals, bent over the hollow of her folded legs, hair falling to obscure her face, studying something, ignored by all the other Initiates, save one.

Lilia was early, as Qui-Gon had predicted. She stood on her tiptoes at the top of the room, barely coming in the door, scanning the cushions for her distrusted companion, and finally spotted her near the bottom of the cradle for the crystals. Lilia made her way down the wide steps, careful not to disturb the meditations of any other Initiate, and stood over Maela, trying to be an imposing presence. How dare this just-out-of-the-crèche-snit work on projects instead of meditation! As she watched Maela, eyes flashing, Maela turned and looked right up at her.

"Oh, hello Lilia!" chirped the girl in a stage-whisper. "I didn't see you!" Maela narrowed her eyes, her neck craning to see the older girl. Her choppy locks fell away from her face in disarray. "Are you mad at me?"

Lilia pushed the emotion at the forefront of her mind out; she hoped. "I'm not mad." Good Jedi are never angry, Lilia thought, and so she fought to be serene instead of angry. She stepped back, half to allow Maela to see her better, but also in an attempt to stop Maela's insistent stare. "What are you doing?"

"Meditating," said Maela sincerely. "It's time for meditation."

"No you weren't!" quipped Lilia, the voice of authority. She looked around the room and remembered that it was, in fact, meditation time, and so she returned to the stage whisper that the conversation had taken place in so far. "You were working on a project. This isn't the time or place for it!"

"You sound like a crèche master," said Maela disdainfully. "I was mediating, see?" She held out a circle to the older girl. Lilia took it. It was a honey colored piece of cloth – reminiscent of skin colors – and two gold and green eyes were expertly embroidered hear one end of the hoop on which the cloth was stretched.

"What is it?" she asked. Lilia wasn't used to seeing mediation aids used, but she supposed it wasn't unheard of… she tried to think of her crèche stories from long ago about ancient masters and their methods.

"A doll." Maela began to gather her tiny tools: a pin cushion, a collection of colored thread, and scissors.

"I've never heard of anyone making _dolls_ for meditations," Lilia said. She handed Maela back her circle when Maela silently reached for it. How was this crècheling ever going to be a proper Jedi?

"The other people are getting annoyed with us talking," said Maela, lowering her voice suddenly to an actual whisper. "Should we leave?"

Lilia just nodded, suddenly again acutely aware of the other watchful eyes in the room, including some supervisory Masters. She waited for Maela to stand, and then silently led the way. "Who is it a doll of?" asked Lilia, when she was out of the door. Maela barely waited for the door to close behind her before she answered.

"Master Tahl. She got blinded, but is still a good Jedi. I mean, she helped when the Temple was in danger." Maela took her little pouch of supplies and looped it over her shoulder. "She's a great Master, and I wanted her in my collection."

"Do you have others?" asked Lilia, curious despite herself. This was a ludicrous way to meditate, but she wanted to see what this baby had done.

"I have a Master Yoda," said Maela sheepishly. She reached into the smock-pocket of her outermost robe a produced a tiny three dimensional master and held him out in her palm. "He was the first one I made," said Maela. Lilia took the doll and brought it close to her face, examining unskillful embroidered eyes, tiny robes, gimmerstick and down-turned ears. Lilia noted that Maela's embroidery had improved since her first doll, since the beginnings of the Master Tahl were much more skillful.

Lilia still held the Yoda, but pulled out a datapad from her pocket. "Here's the excuse note, we should go see my masters first."

Maela took the datapad. "This isn't the excuse note."

"Of course it is," insisted Lilia, and took it back. "Or maybe it's not." She put that datapad back in her pocket. Lilia shoved what she was holding in her pocket and stiffened at the same time, frantically searching pockets and running her hands though her hair. She pulled out another datapad. "This isn't it either!"

"Calm down!" said Maela, holding her hands out as if she were holding up an invisible wall. "Don't panic."

"I'll panic if I want to," said Lilia stiffly, and pulled out a third datapad. "Whew, here it is." Lilia looked down at the datapad and then up at her younger companion. "Maybe you should take it so I don't lose it again."

"Don't lose Master Yoda," said Maela. She looked for her doll in the older girl's clutches and took the datapad. "You still have Yoda, don't you?" Lila pulled it out and Maela nodded, lips in a firm line. Maela examined the datapad and nodded again, satisfied that it was finally the right one. "Which way to your classes?"

"Down the hall and that way," said Lilia, gesturing with her left arm.

"The first left?"

"Whatever way I was pointing."

Maela pointed; Lilia nodded. "It's a left. Your fingers make an L when you hold them out in front of you."

They began walking, and Lilia growled a little. "They both make an L. It depends on how you look at them."

Maela broke out grinning, and turned her hands back and forth while making the L shape. The correct letter switched positions as she flipped her hands. Lilia was right enough, but Maela shook her head. "You need to fix that before you start going on missions."

"Yeah, yeah," said Lilia. "Now that way." She indicated a right.

Maela fingered the empty pocket on the front of her robes. "You still have Master Yoda, right?" Maela's brows furrowed and she worried.

"Of course I do. I don't lose things."

"But you just lost the datapad!" said Maela, alarmed.

"Besides the point," said Lilia. "I won't lose Master Yoda, anyway." Lilia held in tightly in one hand, with Yoda's arms and gimmer stick hanging over the back of her palm. Maela eyed her suspiciously, but kept walking. Lilia wasn't sure what to think of this younger girl who was so unconventional, but Yoda was cute enough to forgive that. As long as Maela didn't do anything that made her feel unsafe… they could be friends. Maybe.


	4. Complications

**A/N:** In case anyone is curious, the Yoda doll exists. Thank you to my reviewers!

**Knight Queen:** She's not stuck up, she just likes rules. ;) Thank you for both reviews.

**A. NuEvil:** They are interesting... I like them. I'm trying my hardest to make them balanced... you'll see more of them later, lemme know if I start failing. Thanks for both reviews.

**Estel-Elf-Lover:** Sorry it's a little late... I have a job interview tomorrow and my friends are coming in to town and life is busy. Oh, so good.

**jedi71:** Thanks! Lemme know what you like about it.

**Kenobi-girl1**: One a week, m'dear. I'm trying not to run out of chapters before I can write more!

** horsiegurl:** Maybe this is true, but I don't agree with you. Master/Padawan relationships are by definition formal, but there is also an intimate side of the relationship that I believe involves first names. But I'm glad you like the story anyway. ;) I update once a week on Wednesdays.

Thanks again to all my readers, even the lurkers. Hey, since everyone seemed to get my subtle five reviewer note, how about we all try telling me what you brilliantly love about the story, and what I could improve. Anyway, the story.

* * *

**Chapter**: Complications

Master Nu, the fanatical librarian, taught Obi-Wan to cross reference. Obi-Wan, to reward himself during the extensive reading the Council required of him, used his new found research skills to find out not only about the wisdoms of the ancient masters, but also their tactics. Obi-Wan considered these clandestine lessons hard won: after hours of listening to Master Nu talk about the wonders of cross referencing, anything he could take away from it was well worth it. So, with his new found researching skills, he learned about the techniques of ancient masters, and how to apply them – he couldn't wait to try one out sparing with Qui-Gon.

Obi-Wan stood in a defensive position – feet shoulder width apart, left foot slightly forward, saber held forward held with right hand over left. He looked over at Qui-Gon: his master was taking his time preparing for their bout, talking with Master Tahl as she prepared to leave the training area. Obi-Wan sighed and stepped out of position. He had to wait. Cautiously he twirled his lit saber in his right hand, listening to its hum as it came near and then moved far from his ear. He was careful, but this rather useless saber move – something just to burn off energy – made him feel as if he was learning again, that he was making progress again towards being a Jedi Knight. He noticed that Qui-Gon was finished his conversation, and so he returned to his defensive posture as his Master came onto the mat.

"Are you ready, Padawan?" Qui-Gon asked.

"Yes, Master," said Obi-Wan. His body tensed as Qui-Gon thumb activated his lightsaber with its familiar khiss, ready for the blow. Qui-Gon struck first, an overhand blow that Obi-Wan blocked easily, raising his hands above his head as he did at the beginning of every practice duel. Obi-Wan threw off the blow, and backed up. Qui-Gon followed, and Obi-Wan aimed for Qui-Gon's left side. Of course, the blow was easily glanced aside. It was a dance that Obi-Wan knew would occur, exercises that he and Qui-Gon always began with, as if to size each other up in battle.

Master and apprentice circled each other cautiously, looking for openings. Obi-Wan had the feeling that his master let this sort of sizing up go on for teaching purposes – he had no doubt that his master could wipe the floor with him if he wanted. Obi-Wan lunged forward as if to strike a hit, but stumbled slightly. He quickly recovered, and tried to calm his heart as Qui-Gon continued the exercise. It was a stupid misstep, it shouldn't have happened, and Obi-Wan wondered what Qui-Gon was thinking, but had to chance to wonder deeply as Qui-Gon lunged for the near touches to Obi-Wan's arms and body. Obi-Wan blocked two quick attacks barely, but deflected a low jab with an arc of his lightsaber.

Obi-Wan was doing well for where he was in his lessons, but he wanted to prove that he was worth more. If he could only maneuver Qui-Gon into position to try out his new move – Obi-Wan was proud of his new knowledge in dueling. The duel went on for several more minutes before Obi-Wan was far enough to Qui-Gon's left side to attempt his trick. Obi-Wan sprung into the air, trying to land on Qui-Gon's other side and catch him off guard, but Qui-Gon moved into his flight path, causing Obi-Wan to panic midair and allowing Qui-Gon to get through Obi-Wan's inexperienced midair defensive.

Obi-Wan threw himself away from Qui-Gon as his master deactivated his saber. Obi-Wan hissed and sank to his knees, holding his injured arm close to him, across his chest, shoulders hunched, fighting the pain. After a deep breath he looked down at the crook of his elbow and saw that the entire area – had a burn which was beginning to blister. Obi-Wan bit his lip as he realized how much power had been behind Qui-Gon's swing – which made the hit much longer than the average in a practice duel, and thus the damage was done even while the sabers were on a training setting. Qui-Gon kneeled beside his apprentice and gently took the injured arm into his hands, pulling it perpendicular to Obi-Wan's body and examining it.

"That was not smart, Padawan," said Qui-Gon, coolly. "You will need to see a healer."

"Yes, Master," said Obi-Wan, using his uninjured arm to push himself to standing. His heart sunk – in his fervor to show off his knowledge, he somehow didn't think how Qui-Gon would react. And it was poorly.

"What you attempted was an advanced Form IV move – you are trying to master Form II. Any particular reason why you decided to try that?"

"Yes, Master," said Obi-Wan quietly. "I came across the move in my reading for the Council." He picked up his saber, bending slowly to reach to the floor where it had fallen.

"And you thought you'd try it." Obi-Wan supposed Qui-Gon was trying to remain neutral in his questioning, but Obi-Wan heard so much disappointment in his voice.

"Yes, Master," said Obi-Wan. He couldn't really think of anything else to say. As Obi-Wan moved towards the door, Qui-Gon moved behind him, putting his hand on his apprentice's shoulder and began directing him. The healers weren't far from the training room. They went out the door to the right, past some classrooms, where the Med Center doors opened in front of them.

When Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan entered the lobby of the Med Centre, the Padawan running triage greeted them. "I'm Padawan Amiens; I'll be placing you in the line for treatment. Training injury today?" he asked.

"Yes," said Qui-Gon, speaking for Obi-Wan. "Saber burn." Obi-Wan looked the Padawan in the eyes, but slightly resented the 'today' part of his introduction – he wasn't in here that _often_, was he? And for that matter, having never met this Padawan before, did he have a reputation?

Amiens made a note of the reason for the visit on the datapad he was holding and then shifted it under one arm, gesturing with the other gloved hand to see the wound. Obi-Wan obliged and the Padawan hissed in sympathy. "It's in a bad place," said the Triage Padawan. "I think it's beginning to blister. We'll take you into an examination room now." The Padawan lead the way, opened the door and gestured for Obi-Wan to sit on the examination table. Qui-Gon took one of the two seats left open in the room.

"I'll just take your temperature and blood pressure, and one of the Masters will be in to see you in a minute." Padawan Amiens did his work, entered it into the datapad, left the datapad in the holder on the outside of the door and closed the door behind him.

Silenced reigned for a moment, and then Obi-Wan interrupted what he deemed an uneasy silence. "I'm sorry," he said.

"Sorry for what, Padawan?" asked Qui-Gon, sounding genuinely surprised.

"For being stupid," Obi-Wan said, refusing to meet his master's eyes. "I was just trying to learn something," he gushed. "Ever since… before… I don't feel like I'm learning anything new, everything is the same old, same old!"

"You have learned plenty, Obi-Wan. You impressed the Council just yesterday with your understanding of the interpretation of the Code." Qui-Gon leaned back in his chair and surveyed his Padawan carefully, as he would anyone he met on a mission. It was a familiar stance for his Master to have and it comforted Obi-Wan somewhat, but provided a measure of indigence on the other.

"But nothing _physically_," Obi-Wan stressed. "I feel like I've been doing the same katas in the same form for months."

"You should have spoken with me about this before taking matters into your own hands, Padawan," said Qui-Gon calmly. "You are progressing – I am introducing new elements to your katas each training session, but you are not focused on the physical aspects of your training right now, so you did not see it." Qui-Gon shifted in his seat, leaning forward to look his Padawan straight into the eye. "In fact, my own master was an expert on Form II – I have many nuances to teach you still. I hope this settles the situation."

"Are you… upset with me?" asked Obi-Wan, quietly. He almost didn't ask the question, and it choked in his throat as he said it.

Qui-Gon sat in silence for a moment. "I am not disappointed in you, Obi-Wan."

"But are you angry?" Obi-Wan knew he sounded like a three-year-old initiate who had just made a mess and wanted reassurance.

"I am concerned, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon said. Obi-Wan didn't know what he was thinking. "I didn't see this frustration within you, and I did not handle the teaching situation very well – there were other ways for this to end than you here, in the Med Wing. It appears that trust is still an issue."

"I will try to speak to you about my problems, Master. I'm sorry I didn't. And I'll be all right, Master," said Obi-Wan, sighing. "Just a little bit of bacta and I'll be fine."

Silence returned, and Obi-Wan had nothing else to say, nothing else to defend, but plenty to lament and worry about. Qui-Gon interrupted his self-depreciating reverie. "I mentioned to Master Tahl that we were leaving the Temple."

"What did she say, Master?" Obi-Wan focused on this new conversation – it helped block the pain and the same from his previous anxiety. He knew he should probably meditate, but the Healer might be in any moment.

"She expressed her jealousy at the chance to get out of the Temple," Qui-Gon said with mirth in his voice. "She promised to meditate on it."

"Did she ever sponsor any initiates, Master?" Obi-Wan's question was cut off by the door opening and Healer Winna Di Yuni walking in, but Qui-Gon nodded in answer.

"Good day, Obi-Wan," said Master Di Yuni. "Your chart says you had a nasty run in with a saber." She was reading from the chart standing just inside the door as she reached to close it behind her.

"Yes, Healer Di Yuni," said Obi-Wan. "I tried a move I wasn't ready for and Qui-Gon was." He paused for a moment. "Ready, I mean."

Healer Di Yuni chuckled. "Yes, Masters have a way of anticipating that sort of thing." She pulled a pair of gloves out of her lab smock and pulled them on. "Let's see about this injury."

Obi-Wan allowed his arm to be pulled away from his body and out into the light – the area the size of his four fingers together on either side of the crook of his arm was a bright red color – nearly the color of the muja fruit that had been Qui-Gon's breakfast. The area looked wet to the touch, and pustules were beginning to form. "Hm, looks like a second degree burn." She looked up at Obi-Wan and caught his eyes. "Really got you good there, didn't he?" she asked. She grinned and Obi-Wan allowed some lightness into the situation. "Your injury is in an unfortunate spot," she pointed with the pinky of her gloved hand to show Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon, who was leaning in to see the examination, exactly what was such an unfortunate spot. "Here in the crook of your arm, your skin is more sensitive, has relatively thin layers of dermis, and is a point of tension from arm movement – normally, the saber doesn't burn quite so badly, as you know." She looked at the wound for a moment longer and then stepped away to take off her gloves.

"You'll need to wear a sling while its healing. Normal movement could cause scarring." Healer Di Yuni started taking out bandages and salves. "You'll need to change the bandage once a day, to absorb the moisture loss. Keep it dry, only put the salve we give you on it, and you'll be fine in about a week – as long as you do your part with the Force. I'll send a senior Padawan in to teach you how to care for it."

"A week?" asked Obi-Wan, horrified. "What about my training?"

"What about the mission, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon admonished. He spoke to Healer directly: "We are leaving tomorrow for a chaperoning mission."

"Yes, that's what his chart says." Winna's hand was on top of the packages of bandages and stared Qui-Gon down. "We are aware of that fact, but because it is a low risk mission, we cannot spare any bacta at this time. There is a shortage, and we have to prioritize injuries, as you can understand. The bacta planet has been shipping it, but nothing has been getting to its destination." She double checked the pile of supplies that she had placed on the counter next to the examination table, frowning. "It's a serious situation, one the Council has sent several teams to look into. But you see, Obi-Wan's injury is not life threatening, nor is he vitally needed. I'm sorry, Master Jinn, but he will have to heal naturally and with the will of the Force. Bacta just isn't available."

"I understand," said Qui-Gon. Obi-Wan could tell he did understand, but he didn't agree. Obi-Wan brightened slightly at the prospect that his master just really wanted him to be healthy.

"If you just wait here, I'll send someone in. Please be patient, there are other injuries besides yours. Today is a busy day in our clinic." She left.

"Looks like you're going to miss your chance to meet with Maela," said Qui-Gon, looking at his chrono. He sounded as if he sincerely regretted it, and Obi-Wan was caught off guard, wondering why. "I'll ask her supervisory Master to check in with her before you com them to tell them about their appearance before the Council."


	5. Lilia and Maela

**A/N: **Holy Reviews Batman! This is the last of the chapters I uploaded when I first started posting this story. The chapter after this is a long one, but it's only one of two currently completed -- I haven't had time to write as much as I'd like. So, here's the plan faithful readers: I post this week and next week, then for two weeks I'll be out of town, and I'll write up a storm. When I get back, you get a chapter and that Wednesday you get a chapter, and I should be far far ahead. Hopefully.

Thanks for the five reviews. ;) Can I see another five? How about six:feels like an auctioneer:

**A. NuEvil**: The lesson for Obi-Wan is going to be a while in coming, but we'll get pieces of it here and there. You'll see, I hope it'll be worth it in the end. Thnx for reading.

**master kaym**: Thanks!

**Knight Queen**: I will, thanks!

**Crydwyn**: I'm questioning some of the directions of my story myself, but I'll get there if I have to bleed. Thanks!

**The Dancing Cavalier**: I'm really glad you like it! I work so hard.

* * *

**Chapter**: Maela and Lilia 

Lilia's sleep couch had her suitcase on it and the bag was mostly filled; one step closer to being ready. Her head was in her closet, at the opposite end of the tiny room, and she was trying to figure out if the packing list meant she needed more than one cloak if it said five sets of robes. She pulled out her one cloak, a rarely worn item for Initiates within the Temple, and placed it on her bed next to her suitcase. She would wear it on the transport, she decided. It would make her look like a proper Jedi. And the packing list couldn't mean five cloaks – her bag wasn't nearly big enough.

Her suitcase was neat and she liked it that way. Her robes had been folded and rolled neatly into orderly rows in the case. The datapads with her assignments, references, as well as a flimsybook and stylus were stacked on top. Her toothcleaner and hairbrush and such were in a special pouch also tucked within her suitcase, and as she ran through the packing list that Padawan Kenobi gave her, she declared herself ready. More than two standard hours before she had to be.

Lilia reached into her still open case and pulled out the other datapad that Padawan Kenobi had given her. It contained all the factual preparation for the mission, including the files on Maela's family. But it also contained the letter from home that was her own personal invitation. Missing was the letter requesting her leave from the Temple, the one that must have prompted communication with Master Yoda. She read her letter first, for the fourth time.

_Liliana –_

_Your Uncle has recently been blessed with a son. As you have not been home for over a cycle, we would be delighted if you could join us for the naming celebration._

_Master Yoda assures us that you won't fall behind in your studies and that you may even bring a friend. We have plenty of room for them and your chaperone. It will be pleasant to see you under joyful circumstances._

_We're looking forward to seeing you!_

_Much Love,  
Your Parents_

While her reaction was not violent, the contortions her face twisted into was unbefitting for a Jedi nonetheless, and Lilia was doubly angry at herself for the emotion and the reaction. She set aside the datapad with more force than necessary, and jumped up to stalk the length of the room. With her height, it was merely ten steps at most, but she was agitated and she had to get it out.

Not all of her age mates knew who their family was, and very few visited their family even once every three years – she was the only one, as far as she knew, who saw a member of her family on a regular basis, and the only one who visited home and her parents at least once a cycle. Her aunt was a Jedi Knight and her great uncle was a Master – affinity with the Force was often a family trait – but it made her different, and she didn't like it. Not only did it make her different, it also put her in danger. How could she be a great Jedi if she loved her family? And how could she be a great Jedi if her family loved her?

Love led to attachment, and she could not have that if she was to be a great Jedi. Any interaction could lead to betrayal – the way her uncle had died. Lilia didn't know what to do. All she could do was train, and hope that she found a way to know who to trust. She sighed, and picked up the datapad with the factual details again. She had to learn about Maela's family – luckily, it was a small family compared to her own extended clan. She would be ready for this trip home, this pretend mission, and she would be a great Jedi.

She looked at her chrono. Still an hour and a half until their departure. Plenty of time to learn everything she needed to be on her best behavior.

* * *

"She didn't even know people were getting angry with us!" Maela exclaimed, pulling an outer tunic from her closet and tossing it at her suitcase, which lay on her sleep couch. 

"That's weird," demurred a girl, Jensine, with short blonde hair as she sat on the floor in front of Maela's closet. She was sorting through Maela's collection of dolls, taking them out of their rosewood box and placing them in a semicircle around her folded knees.

"She was so angry, too, Jens," said Maela. "And she was angry at me! I was just meditating." Maela folded up her clothes, counting out the correct number of garments and consulting the data pad.

"You are coming back, right?"

"Jens," Maela sighed, setting the clothes down and looking backwards up at the ceiling in a childish mockery of frustration. "Stop worrying. That's not Jedi. Master Qui-Gon will protect me, anyway. And I don't think you should miss me either."

"Maybe," muttered Jens as she picked up the doll of Master Adi Galla and stared into its tiny embroidered face. "Why can't I miss you, anyway? You're my friend."

"We have to feel like Jedi," Maela said. She turned back to her packing. "Jedi are strong."

Jens didn't say anything in response to Maela. "Are you taking your dolls?"

Maela didn't answer, but crouched on the floor and started putting the dolls back into the box. Jensine stared at her friend, trying to divine what her friend was feeling, but gave up. Halfway through the process Jens joined Maela and throwing the dolls into a box, and when they were finished, Maela put the box into her bag. She went to her desk, pulled out a smaller box and her sewing kit, and put those in her bag too. Maela didn't want to answer Jens, so she didn't.

Jens got up, brushing herself off and stretching as if to get rid of something she found uncomfortable. "When are you leaving?"

Maela looked at her chrono. "Hour," she said. "Do you have classwork to do?"

"You're lucky you don't have to do it," Jens said.

"I do, just not right now. I have to do it on the trip," she said.

"I better go do mine," Jens said, and stepped out of the open door. She bowed in the doorway, as a Master came in as Jens came out.

"Master Helums!" said Maela, giggling as her visitor came into view. She bowed to the Master in charge of coordinating her lessons. "I'm going on a trip."

"I know, Maela," said Master Helums. "Master Jinn asked me to make sure that you were all ready for your trip."

"I packed," Maela said, pointing to her bag. "And I got my lessons." She pulled the datapad off of her desk to show it to her.

"Well, let's see," said the Master. Very quickly, she managed to check through Maela's things, make sure she had everything, had compiled all of her work, and then the master folded and nestled everything to fit in the youngling's bag. She noted the small box, one she had not seen before on the visits to Maela's quarters. "I see you have your dolls, Maela, and you kit for making more, but what's in this small box?"

Maela looked up at Master Helums. "Do I have to tell?" she asked.

"I suppose not," the master said. She looked at the girl, wondering if it would help the girl's understanding of her own emotions if she made her tell. "Well, It looks like you're all set, m'dear." Maela looked down at her newly neat bag and grinned.

"Thank you Master Helums!" she said and thought briefly about giving the woman a hug. She didn't think it was appropriate, and began tapping her fingers in a dexterity exercise. The master smiled at the girl.

"Have a good trip, Maela," she said. She waited for the girl to bow, and then bowed as well, and then left the room.

She comm'd Master Jinn as she left, gliding down the Temple hallway. "Maela is all set for departure, Qui-Gon."

"Thank you, Tabea," he replied. "We have an appointment with the Council to make. I'll have my Padawan contact them and we'll make haste."

* * *

"Well," said Qui-Gon, walking into the room that the four were sharing on the starship, coming in with the commanding presence and confidence in his voice that was customary to him. "I spoke with the Porter," he began, but he stopped when he saw that the lights were dim and Obi-Wan sat in one of the two chairs waiting for him, and two small forms lay in the beds. He quieted his voice to more of a level useful for speaking when two children were trying to sleep. "I'll spare the obvious question and ask if they're asleep." 

"Lilia gave a most impressive speech about the discipline of bedtime," Obi-Wan looked up into his Master's face. His arm in its sling was placed carefully in its armrest. "I was fully prepared to let them stay awake until you returned, but Lilia must have memorized the speech from her crèche Master. I always ignored that particular speech."

"Just as well that they're asleep," said Qui-Gon, a soft smile gracing his features. "We need to discuss their lessons."

"Yes, Master," said Obi-Wan. He nestled himself deeper into the chair he sat in. "We should start with the morning meditation that they're used to."

"Keeping their schedules is important," Qui-Gon agreed. "If we wake at the relative same time to the Temple and allow an hour for meditation and morning exercises, we'll be able to be at our assigned table for our assigned meal time."

"We have assigned meal times?" asked Obi-Wan, surprised.

"This is a luxury cruiser," Qui-Gon said. "We may be third class passengers, but they make every effort to make sure that the illusion of luxury is preserved, that includes scheduled meals."

Obi-Wan shrugged. "Then lessons after breakfast?"

"The first third, I think. Then saber practice right before Midday. Midday, then the second two thirds of the lessons. After the lessons are over, it should be dinner, followed by some free time, then meditations, and bedtime."

"Sound good, Qui-Gon," Obi-Wan said. He was fighting back some frustration. He wouldn't be much help in the saber lessons, and would be stuck with all the academic work. "I think I'm going to go to sleep."

"Take the lower bunk, my Padawan. Climbing into the top bunk wouldn't be a good idea with your arm." Qui-Gon smiled at Obi-Wan. "You'll be as good as new in no time."

"Yes Master," He said, and walked over to the sleep couches. He sat on the edge of his bed, and watched as Qui-Gon secured the door, found a comfortable spot on the floor in the living area of the quarters and began to meditate. Obi-Wan dismissed the idea of meditation.

"Obi-Wan?" Maela, whose back had been towards him, turned over in the bed, her blankets becoming twisting around her small form. "Obi-Wan, I can't fall asleep."

Obi-Wan moved across the small division between the two bunks and kneeled beside her bed. "Did you try meditating?" he asked, quietly. He didn't want to disturb Lilia above them, or Qui-Gon protecting them. She shook her head. "You should meditate."

"But I don't want to. Too complicated," she said. Frustration was bleeding into her voice, and with some difficulty she pulled one of her arms out from under her sheets and rubbed one of her eyes with a fist. "I always forget parts, and the ship is too noisy."

Obi-Wan was perplexed at this last statement. The ship was well soundproofed. "I know some simple meditations; do you want me to teach you?" She nodded. "You have to listen with your ears first, okay? Just your ears, stop listening with your head. You'll just hear breathing, okay? Maybe the squeaking of Lilia's sleep couch springs."

Obi-Wan lead her through the Meditation that he had used so recently to help him prepare for his appearance before the Council. And Qui-Gon smiled at the interaction, impassively observing in his own meditation.


	6. When the World was Young

**A/N**: Welcome to Chapter 6. For some reason, I thought it was chapter 8... I guess I'm just delusional. I'm sorry this is a day late. But, my family was switching from AO(hel)L to SBC this past week, and while we were connected to SBC, we couldn't get our username, and thus I had no internet. I had to go to the library... and I couldn't transfer the story... so I'm sorry. :( Please forgive me.

**horsiegurl**: Thanks for the review! What exactly is it that you like about their interactions? I'm curious... maybe I can add more of what you like!

**A. NuEvil**: Hehe... tell me if you ever find any clues... I'd like to see if I can actually put together a complex narrative, and you can tell me if I'm doing it right. Thanks for reading. ;)

**SpikesSpecialFriend**: That is probably the best compliment I could have ever recieved, that you look forward to tuesday nights. That's how I feel about my favorite fanfic (the ones that update regularly, that is!). I'm so so so so so sorry this was late -- especially for your sake.

**Crydwyn**: I'm glad you like it. I have questions about the Jedi, and so I come up with stories to answer it. Another story that's been brewing in my head's question is "Why do the Jedi have Master/Padawan relationships?" I'd tell you the question for this story, but I think it would give too much away. Thanks for reading!

**Kalorna Enera**: laughs at the thought that their schedule works Oh, you'll see. As for not skipping details? I think the details are the story... but there is a bit of plot coming. Yay!

**Kenobi-girl1**: Keeping up the good work, promise. ;)

**Knight Queen**: Updated! ;)

Okay, here's the deal. I have to go to Oklahoma and visit my family starting July 25th, I'll be gone two weeks. If, by going online, I will cause sever financial burden to my grandparents, I will try to post. But this is of course contingent on the ability to make the story travel from my laptop, to their computer, to the internet. Or, possibly, using the wireless in a hotel on the way. So, don't hold your breath. But I will try, and if worse comes to worse, I will just have more story written when I come back and regular updates will be assured for a few more weeks. ;) Thank you all for reading, much love.

* * *

**Chapter**: When the World was Young 

Qui-Gon looked across the dinner table at the two little girls who were his responsibility, massaging the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. He had made many trips on ships much less hospitable than this one with younglings, but he was wondering how he could have ever suspected that chaperoning two initiates home could be any simpler than comforting a confused infant. Subtle Force suggestions for sleep, a deft hand for changing nappies and fortified bantha milk was all you needed for small children traveling to join the order. But as children got older, they got more complicated.

Lilia and Maela sat on either side of his Padawan as they quietly ate their dinner. This was their best behavior, an improvement over the ruckus of the day. Morning exercises and mediations went relatively well. Qui-Gon asked why Maela needed so much to meditate, Lilia informed him that she was making a doll. That short distraction aside, everything went according to plan.

But breakfast was not nearly as peaceful. Maela, fidgeting at the table, kicked Lilia in the shins. Lilia asked her to stop, but she did it again. Five more times.Qui-Gon had to give both a stern talking to about appearances in public, and the decorum of the Jedi, then moved them apart.

For the morning lessons, Qui-Gon had Obi-Wan return the Initiates to the quarters and stay with them while he was given a tour of the ship by the Captain, who was quite thrilled to have four Jedi onboard. Obi-Wan reported that Lilia, looking over Maela's shoulder at the younger girl's mathematics lesson, declared Maela to be a Bantha brain because Lilia had done the same lessons when she was six. This caused Maela to be quite upset and cranky for the rest of the lesson, causing small fits every time she answered a question incorrectly.

That report, however, was delivered after the saber lesson was delayed a full fifteen minutes because the bag with the training equipment had been unpacked by a Porter into one of the drawers. Maela, seeing that Lilia was looking forward to the lesson, refused to help look for the equipment. Obi-Wan could not risk injuring himself further. They had to wait until Qui-Gon returned. He found the equipment quickly, but had to straighten out the confusion caused by a frustrated Obi-Wan, an obstinate Lilia, and a cranky Maela.

Lunch was relatively peaceful because Obi-Wan sat between the two and the girls refrained from talking.

At the start of the afternoon lessons, Qui-Gon allowed a slight delay because, despite the training earlier, both girls had too much energy to concentrate. Obi-Wan tried to start on his lessons while the other two played at Qui-Gon's suggestion – as a Padawan, he would have more to complete than the Initiates – but Obi-Wan was soon interrupted by Maela complaining that Lilia was being mean and changing the rules of their improvised ball game. Obi-Wan, not wanting to deal with more whining and hurt feelings, put an end to play time and sat between them at their lessons.

When their lessons were finished, it was time for dinner and it felt as if it was the only quiet that he had been able to enjoy all day. He was beginning to feel the strain of their animosity, and he knew his Padawan was as well. How were these two girls supposed to even begin to make friends?

When the evening meal was complete, Qui-Gon begged off an after dinner conversation with some of the more wealthy passengers, fascinated by the Jedi presence, in order to try to find some quiet time in the suite. "I'm sure you understand," he said to a small group, who included the captain. "Training is intensive for Jedi Initiates as well as Padawans, and we really must retire to meditate."

"Master Qui-Gon?" asked Maela, tugging on his sleeve for attention. "We don't really need to meditate that much, do we?" The group, not nearly out of ear shot, laughed at the question, sure that the child's naïveté would soon be a thing of the past.

Qui-Gon placed his large hand between Maela's small shoulder blades and followed Obi-Wan's lead guiding the girl through the doors to the dining hall and down the hall towards their suite. Once around a corner he said, "Maela, you must think before you speak. It was not your place to contradict me." She nodded, but Qui-Gon knew from the look in her eyes that she hadn't learned her lesson. She would, in time. For now, telling her that she was wrong was a step. "Anyway, you and I must discuss what you were supposed to learn for this mission." He waited as Obi-Wan palmed open the lock to the room. "Bring me your dossier on Lilia's family."

"Why does she have to learn about _my_ family, Master?" asked Lilia. She sounded irritable, and Qui-Gon mentally calculated the relative time at the temple. It may have been just after dinner according to the ship, but it was nearly bedtime to the two little girls. Qui-Gon considered, briefly, foregoing free time for sleep, but he knew that as much as they needed the discipline of a schedule, they needed to know how to adapt it.

"Maela has to learn about your family for the same reason that you have to learn about hers, Lilia," said Qui-Gon gently. "To know your surroundings is to know the way to deal with them." Maela went across the room to a drawer full of her things and brought back her datapad and handed it to Qui-Gon. "Well, Lilia, what are you going to do with your free time?"

Lilia looked up at Qui-Gon. "Can I play with Maela's Master dolls?"

"You'll have to ask Maela," said Qui-Gon judiciously.

"Can I play with your dolls?" asked Lilia. Maela shrugged and pointed at the box that was already sitting on the floor, having not been cleaned up from the morning's meditation.

Qui-Gon would normally have praised a child for sharing so readily, but Maela wasn't being generous, just … yielding. "Have you read the dossier?" he asked as he sat down in one of the two easy chairs in the room. Obi-Wan took the seat next to him.

"Yes, Qui-Gon," said Maela. She leaned on the arm of the chair, as if trying to be closer to the Master.

"Can I ask you questions about it?" The little girl nodded. He looked down at the child-sized datapad, which was a tad small for his large hands. "What is the relationship of Wolford Valeska to Lilia?"

Maela looked down at her hands pressed under her chin as her elbows were pinned between her body and the chair arm. "Grandfather?" she said after a moment. She didn't look up.

"You don't sound sure," said Qui-Gon. Maela had read the information, he was sure, but she hadn't studied it. He kept his face neutral, not giving away the answer.

"Father?" she guessed again. This time she looked up, eyes begging for the right answer.

"Lilia's father has the same last name as her. You were right the first time." Qui-Gon handed the little girl back her datapad. "Study this for fifteen minutes of your free time, I'll quiz you at the end of that time and then you can play." Maela took the datapad and lay down on her stomach on the floor not far from Lilia.

"Why do they fight so much, Master?" asked Obi-Wan. The tone of his voice told Qui-Gon that the question had been repeating itself in his mind all day. "I never fought with any fellow initiate the way these two do." He scrunched his eyes closed and leaned back. "It's so tiring to listen to."

"Sibling rivalry." Qui-Gon said it so simply that Obi-Wan took a second to make sure that something had been said.

"Master?" Qui-Gon nodded.

"They're competing for attention, Obi-Wan. Neither wants to be neglected."

"We're not neglecting them!" protested Obi-Wan. "We spend every second making sure they're learning, or training, or eating or something!"

"As do all parents in the galaxy, and in our cases, the crèche masters." Qui-Gon watched as the two girls conversed on the floor. "Humans, though, seem to have evolved with an instinct to prove that they are the stronger child, so that resources will be given to them. Survival of the fittest. That instinct hasn't gone away."

"But they know better," said Obi-Wan in slight exasperation.

"But they are just a bit too young to turn off instinct as you'd like them too." He turned to his Padawan. "But even if you know and act on the idea that you are not competing with someone for survival, you will still see others as rivals. If we were to go on a mission with another Master/Padawan team, you'd be making sure that I saw you do the right thing, because you would want to prove to that other Master/Padawan team that you were just as worthy." Qui-Gon smiled. "Do not deny what you will find through experience to be true."

"Yes, Master," he said. Obi-Wan pondered the hypothetical his master presented.

"Besides, they do not fight all the time, do they?"

"No," said Obi-Wan. "Lilia helped Maela on one of her katas this morning. Maela let Lilia play with her dolls. And they seem to be okay right now." The two girls were talking about something, heads close together.

"We just have to help them be allies rather than enemies." Qui-Gon used the arms of the chair to push himself to standing. "If you excuse me, I have to use the 'fresher." Obi-Wan smiled wanly, showing that he understood, before leaning his head against the back of the chair and closing his eyes. Obi-Wan tried to ignore the Initiate's rising voices, wishing they would just sleep instead of playing…

"Stop telling me what I'm feeling and pretending you know what I'm thinking because you can't really know! Go away!" Lilia shouted. Obi-Wan's eyes snapped open and he watched silent, unmoving, as Maela got up, went to the drawer where she put in the datapad and left the room. The door to the room hissed closed before Obi-Wan moved, before his mind registered that because Lilia had yelled at Maela, and eight-year-old had just gone wandering the ship alone.

"What did you say to her?" demanded Obi-Wan as he leaped from the chair standing above the girl who was still crouched on the floor. Obi-Wan watched in horror as Lilia, too, began to cry. "No, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry," said Obi-Wan. "But what happened? I don't understand."

Lilia sniffled and snorted and her voice was strained with sobs. "She was being mean!"

"What happened?" asked Obi-Wan. How was he supposed to get to the bottom of this? And Maela had left the room!

"What's going on here?" asked Qui-Gon as he left the 'fresher.

"I closed my eyes for a minute, and then Lilia and Maela started fighting, and Maela left the room," said Obi-Wan. He fought to report calmly, and his uninjured arm gripped the fingers of his injured arm, betraying his agitation. These girls, he realized, were also partly his responsibility, and he was supposed to be learning from them, or else the Council wouldn't have allowed him to come on this trip.

"Go find Maela," said Qui-Gon. "She'll be hiding somewhere on the ship. Don't approach her, just find her," he said, lowering himself to sit on the floor. He offered open arms to Lilia who leaned into a half embrace, still crying. "She did her part not to make the situation worse by leaving it, and she's hurting right now, just like Lilia, and I'll need to talk to her. But, since Lilia is here now, I'll talk to her first."

"Why can't you find her, Master?" Qui-Gon could tell that his Padawan wasn't comfortable with the idea of leaving the situation as much as he was staying in it. Qui-Gon also suspected he was afraid he wouldn't be able to find her – to climb into the small spaces where a small girl could hide.

"Because you can say you're playing a game of hide and seek. If I were looking for her, the ship's security might become alarmed and tell her that finding a place alone is wrong, which for her it isn't." He looked squarely into his Padawan's eyes, concentrating on just him despite offering a comforting arm to Lilia. "You just have to find her; you don't need to approach her."

"Yes, Master," said Obi-Wan. He left the room.

Qui-Gon focused his attention on soothing the initiate he held under one arm, leaning against his side, though not in his lap. He sighed internally, not wanting to show his reluctance to deal with the situation. He had realized that soon their animosity would come to blows… he just didn't realize it would happen so soon. "What happened?" he asked gently.

"She said that my family didn't love me." Qui-Gon frowned. The Council had said that Maela wasn't adept at seeing when her observations hurt people, but even this seemed too blunt.

"Is that really what she said?" Qui-Gon continued using his softest, most soothing voice, and he watched as Lilia worried one of Maela's dolls in her hand. Master Yoda did pirouettes as Qui-Gon waited for Lilia to reveal the fuller story.

"She said that I was afraid of seeing them and that meant I was afraid of them not loving me." Lilia sniffed, drawing in a deep breath.

"Is that true?"

"They love me. Albina says they do, and she always comes and visits me when she's at the Temple and stuff." Lilia rubbed her eyes, and wiped her nose with her sleeve.

"Your Aunt is a very wise woman, besides being a Jedi Knight, and she speaks the truth. Then, Lilia… why did what Maela said upset you so much?"

"Because." Lilia was short with the word, a childish indication she didn't want to talk about it any more.

"Because you are afraid?" He asked gently, voice low. "Because you're afraid it might be just a little bit true?" Lilia stiffened in his grip and began to cry again, breath that had been calming now coming again in gasps. She nodded, her hair rubbing against his Jedi robe and bowing out in a mess.

"It's not true, Lilia. You'll have to believe that yourself." He took a deep breath. "You have to trust that your family loves you."

"Why did she say it, Qui-Gon?" she asked. "Why?" She took the doll in her hand and tucked him close to her chest.

He looked down into her swollen, red eyes and wiped away a tear with his finger. "She wants to be your friend, Lilia. She wants to help you with your fear, but she doesn't know how."

"She should have just said so," Lilia replied with some distain.

"How could she have 'just said so' if you wouldn't have listened to her?"

"I would have listened," she said, just as irritable.

"Would you have? If she didn't _show_ you she cared, would you have trusted her?"

"She doesn't care!" Lilia cried. "She said some really mean things."

"If she didn't care, would she have been crying when she left?" Lilia had no answer for this. "Listen, I want you to get ready for bed. Go to sleep, I have to go find Maela. But tomorrow, after you both apologize, I want you to say something nice, or do something nice for Maela. But it has to be sincere, because she'll know."

Lilia nodded and extricated herself from Qui-Gon's grip, standing and rubbing her eyes. "Why, though?" she asked.

"Why do something nice?" asked Qui-Gon. She nodded, and he smiled benevolently. "Answers to some questions have to be discovered on your own."

"We're not friends," said Lilia, giving her most stubborn look to the Jedi Master, correctly divining the reason for this assignment.

"You both want to be," he said, standing and smiling softly. "Or neither of you would be this upset that the other didn't understand."


	7. Those That Hide

**A/N:** Okay, so it took me a number of days, but I managed to find a way to get online. But, in the time that I could not be online, I've done some serious writing. I now have two more chapters than I did, as well as having gotten past the mental block... Can I see five reviews? I always find emails exciting and I haven't gotten any of value lately...

**SpikesSpecialFriend: **The trip is good so far. Finished two books. Here's a new chapter to entertain you. :) And you'll get another one Tuesday night, I'm feeling generous.  
**Kenobi-girl1**: I'm glad you think I'm a good writer. I hope I'm accomplishing something here, but I'm not completely sure.  
**Knight Queen:** More upset kiddies in this chapter. Tell me if I've still got it down. ;) Oklahoma is peachy.  
**Christina B:** I'm glad you like it! After I post this, I'm going to read your stories -- you're one of the few of my readers who write JA fiction! (Well, crossed over with HP and stuff. But still.) Updates Tuesday nights, because I'm arbitrary like that. :)

* * *

**Chapter**: Those That Hide

As Obi-Wan stepped out into the corridor and the door shut behind him, he was presented with two choices – right or left – and the same hesitation that had allowed Maela to leave the room in the first place, the same baffling dawdling in the face of the utterly unpredictable, took hold. Direction was a basic decision, but Maela had a four minute head start on this fictional game of hide-and-seek, and Obi-Wan literally did not know which way to turn. Qui-Gon would know where to start, but Obi-Wan, Obi-Wan was injured and suddenly he couldn't search for a little girl. One direction lead towards the pleasure areas of the ship, more heavily frequented by the richer passengers especially in the evening such as now; the other towards the more pragmatic areas, like the galley and the like. But where would _Maela_ go?

Why couldn't he think? It was a decision of left or right to go find a small child – one who wasn't nearly as cunning as any of the criminal masterminds he had spent the last half a year thwarting with his Master. He closed his eyes tightly, knowing that his face grew lines that any outsider watching would simply think that he was in pain, and in a way he was – painfully aware of his shortcomings.

Where would she go? Obi-Wan used his uninjured hand to pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration. To know where she went, he had to figure out why she left in the first place. Was she embarrassed by her outburst of emotion? Obi-Wan knew he would have been, and the best place to go if you were embarrassed was _away_ from people. He looked to his left, towards the less populated area of the ship, and started walking that way. It wasn't the best logic, but it was some reason, some way to know where he was going.

As Obi-Wan walked down the hall, checking the various doors that led to stairwells and storage closets, he began to consider what the Council wanted from this trip, after all. Qui-Gon said that the preparations for the trip could be a test by the Council, for the Council likes to test where they can observe – but now the Council couldn't see what was going on. Good thing, too, Obi-Wan thought, checking into a darkened alcove, because a missing Initiate would be far from good for his standing before the Council.

Obi-Wan's stomach turned at such a self absorbed thought. It wouldn't matter what the Council thought of him as long as Maela and Lilia were safe. Fear was beginning to creep into his consciousness … an Initiate hiding in the Temple would not be such a big deal – they could scan the entire building if they had to, but they only did that after they had been missing for several hours. But here, in the ship, there was no safety net, and as much as the girl had been annoying and frustrating that day, he didn't want anything to happen to her.

He finally entered the dining room, the last place on the level that there were no people. At meal times, the room was buzzing with conversation and the ambient noise of plates and forks in use. Obi-Wan was surprised that empty, the large room was still surprisingly noisy – maybe it was dishwashers in the kitchen, maybe it was sounds of the engine rooms that were normally drowned out by people. He scanned the room, and found that all the chairs at all the tables were pushed in, except for one – the chair was pushed away from the round table with its full length white cloth, and Obi-Wan suspected that it would make the perfect hiding place for an eight-year-old girl who wanted to hide from something. Obi-Wan walked slowly, soundlessly, towards that unkempt table and lowered himself to the floor using his good arm – which was awkward, because it was his left arm and he wasn't used to it – to look under the small gap between the floor and the table cloth. Sure enough, in that tiny sliver, he saw the tiny booted feet of an initiate.

Obi-Wan slowly stood, and left the room to stand outside the doors, where he could sense Qui-Gon slowly wandering the halls searching for his presence in the Force. Qui-gon quickly spotted him.

"Did you find her, Padawan?" asked Qui-Gon. Obi-Wan looked at his face and noticed the slight worry and strain there as shown in his frowning brow.

Obi-Wan nodded. "She's in there, under a table. You'll know which one. I didn't disturb her." Qui-Gon put his hand on his Padawan's shoulder as a sign of thanks, but as he moved towards the doors to enter, Obi-Wan spoke again. "Master, what's going on?"

Qui-Gon sighed. "You have, of course, figured out that this chaperoning mission is more than it seems." Obi-Wan nodded. It had something to do with the Initiates as well, he was sure. "The Council is concerned for Lilia and Maela's aptitude to be Jedi. The Council believes that their greatest hope is to become friends with one another – and as you can see, it's a rocky path." Qui-Gon squeezed his shoulder. "I'll discuss the details with you in the morning; right now you should go back to the suite and make sure Lilia went to sleep all right."

"Yes, Master," said Obi-Wan. He yawned, and realized that the day had been a long one for him, as well, and started down the hallway towards the suite.

Qui-Gon entered the dining room. "Maela!" he called. "Maela!" Scanning the room with the Force he saw that Maela tried to make her presence smaller, tried scrunching in on herself – he suspected physically as well as within the Force. He kneeled down next to the table and lifted the table cloth over his head, but he didn't bring his whole body into the space – he didn't want to alienate her.

"It seems I've found you, young one," he said. He was surprised to see that her breath still game in ragged gasps, despite her dried eyes. She was still upset, but was striving to hide the obvious physical indicator of tears. "Why did you need to go and hide?"

"Because," Maela croaked. She paused, took a deep breath that was made shallow by how tightly she hugged her knees to her chest, and very cautiously continued. "Because I felt bad that she felt bad."

"My, young one," he said softly, soothingly. Qui-Gon folded part of the table cloth up onto the table, so that he could see into Maela's makeshift fort, but he was outside of it. "You need to learn the names of your feelings."

"I know some," she said fiercely, and the edge of tears cut the sound of the words. "But my head hurts."

Qui-Gon frowned. "Does your head hurt from crying?"

"No, people." A tear leaked down her cheek and she rubbed it away on her knee, making it as if it had never been there at all.

A light slowly dawned on Qui-Gon, remembering the precautions he had to take when she was an infant. She was sensitive to the feelings of those who were not shielded. "Have you never been out of the Temple, young one?" He wondered if she knew what was causing the pain herself – she had identified people as the cause of it.

"Of course," she said fiercely. She felt the need to defend herself, and Qui-Gon wasn't stopping her. "Went to the Galactic Museum." She continued to try to hide herself, nestling her face into the crook of her elbow.

"Did you get a headache then too?" She simply nodded. "If you sit in my lap, I will help you block the people out." Qui-Gon could give a little bit of shielding from the emotions on board the ship. She shook her head no and hugged her knees tighter. Qui-Gon wished the little girl had given into his offer of help, but knew she had to accept it in time. He pressed on: "Can you tell me why Lilia feels bad?"

"She's afraid," she said quietly. "Nervous."

She did know the names of her feelings, Qui-Gon admitted to himself. It was probably something they had taught her early, realizing she would need the vocabulary to deal with her ability. But the words weren't second nature to her yet – she had to concentrate to use them. "And why did you feel bad?"

"Made it worse." She was mumbling, making no effort to enunciate her words. This was clearly a conversation she'd rather not be having.

"Do you ever make it better?" If anything, Qui-Gon observed, she appeared to be an honest with herself, as honest as a little girl could be, and she gave the question some thought.

"Dunno." She pushed her face into her knee, effectively muffling her words and making it even harder to understand her. She took a long, shuddering breath.

"Do people help you when you're nervous?"

"Masters."

"Are you a Master, Maela?" She said something, but he couldn't understand. "Say again?"

"No." Her tears started again. "But I want to help, Master Qui-Gon…"

He held out his arms underneath the table and this time she let herself be taken into his lap. She had admitted, finally, that she needed help and that she had done something not only wrong, but that she was sorry for. He scooted out from under the table. "How do your friends help you if you're sad?"

"Jens makes… my Master dolls … talk funny." She wiped away her tears with the back of her small hand, but more kept coming. She spoke between sobs.

"Why don't you do that?"

She drew in a shuddering breath before she answered. "But Lilia was _nervous_." Qui-Gon was slightly impressed that she made the distinction between remedies for different emotions.

"What would make you feel brave?"

"If Jens or a Master went with me…"

"Why don't you help Lilia by offering to stay with her when she's nervous, and not just tell her she's wrong? You should help her, not simply tell her she needs to change."

"But what about if someone is angry?" Maela sounded slightly desperate, and Qui-Gon wondered if some well meaning Master had told her that she held the key to holding anger at bay or some such nonsense without telling her how to deal with it. She was using the wrong methods now. "Anger is bad and dangerous."

"You should ask them about why they are angry. And if you have a solution, a way to help them realize they should not be angry or to stop them from hurting themselves or others, you should suggest it – but be there, as a friend, whether or not they take the suggestion."

"You're good at this, Master Qui-Gon…why didn't I think of that?"

"You're too close to the situation, Maela… you weren't seeing all the possibilities." They were quiet for a moment, and Qui-Gon stroked the girl's back in an effort to calm her before she spoke again.

"So I should show how I think I should help by trying to fix it?"

"You should be supportive of your friends, doing something for them that will help them feel better, not just tell them that they aren't allowed to be angry, or nervous, or sad." Maela nodded as if she understood.

But all was not fixed. She brought up what else was bothering her. "Lilia is mad at me now."

"Wouldn't you be upset if someone told you something and it made your emotions worse?"

"Yes…" she admitted reluctantly. "How do I fix it?"

"Well," Qui-Gon said, "tonight you sleep. Tomorrow, you apologize. And then you stay out of Lilia's way. She has to work her way past her anger, and trying too hard to make it up to her is not the way to do it, okay?" She nodded. Qui-Gon lifted the girl out of his lap and stood her on her own two feet while he returned to standing. He fixed the tablecloth and pushed in the chair, and lifted Maela into his arms. She relaxed against his shoulder, though deep, uneven breaths betrayed her less-than-calm state. "Come young one, I'll sing you a lullaby."


	8. The Advocate of the Nap

**A/N**: I'm so glad you all are so patient with me! 1000+ hits, I'm so excited! While on vacation I managed to write four more chapters, this is the first of those four. We have another month of uninterrupted fic. School starts soon, but we'll deal with that when it comes.

Thank you to: **Christina B** (I know a really good archive of JA fiction. Can I leave a comment in your LJ or something?), **Crydwyn **(I hope you don't mind the pace!), **Knight Queen** (Haha! I just think about how I would react at that age. I obviously remember too well. ;) ), **Kalorna Enera** (SUCH a great compliment. I really hope they are as complex as they need to be. All relationships are.), **Stephanie** (I'll tell you a secret. The Yoda doll exists. My friend Jennifer has it in a box somewhere. grr.), **Kenobi-girl1 **(Hehe, I sure hope so.)

Tell me what you think! How about five more reviews?

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**Chapter**: The Advocate of the Nap 

Obi-Wan dreamt of Qui-Gon softly singing lullabies, so sweetly in a deep voice that he could taste the melody on his tongue, filling his body with a warmth and comfort he did not know he possessed. The rhythm, if not the words, lingered with him, and his mind hummed with the melody as Qui-Gon placed his hand between his shoulder blades and bade him come to morning meditation. "Wake, my young Padawan," Qui-Gon whispered, and began moving around the room, lighting different lamps as he went.

"Lilia," Qui-Gon called, in a low voice so not to as startle her if she was in a deep sleep. "Maela…" Lilia stretched beneath her blankets and immediately sat up. However, Maela moved much slower, pulling her hand out of tangled bed sheets and rubbing her eye with a fist. Muffled sounds of waking were all that could be heard for several minutes as Qui-Gon sat placidly in the empty area of the room, Obi-Wan pulled on his pants, and Lilia climbed down from the bed to begin to get dressed. As Obi-Wan retrieved his bandages and knelt next to Qui-Gon to change the dressing, Maela finally stretched and sat up in bed.

"Fine," she said defiantly, then lay back down in bed in order to roll out. Her legs, bound in sheets, fell to the floor first, and Maela sat there, kicking her feet and trying to free herself.

Qui-Gon chuckled as he carefully cut the bandages from Obi-Wan's arm. "Maela is not an early riser," he said.

Obi-Wan watched Qui-Gon's careful hands as he peeled away layers of bandage from the wound and he studied his broken flesh while Qui-Gon prepared new dressing. "I think she would prefer not to rise at all."

"Sounds like someone else I know," said Qui-Gon tolerantly, but his amusement dimmed as the moments wore on. Obi-Wan followed Qui-Gon's gaze to the initiates, who were very carefully avoiding one another as they moved around the small living area. As Maela managed to get to her feet and moved to take her day-robes out of her bag, Lilia quickly grabbed up all of her toiletries as well as her clothes and moved into the fresher. Maela slowed in her collection of things, and Obi-Wan suspected that she was trying not to be waiting when Lilia emerged.

Obi-Wan considered the scene in front of him, vaguely glad that something had distracted him from the glistening wetness of the healing burn on his arm. Maela, despite her best efforts, crouched by her bag, leering at the door waiting for Lilia to come out, and Obi-Wan, despite his own best efforts, was unable to figure out what had gone on between them that the overtures of friendship had become this wary waiting for the other to pounce. He reconsidered what he had just termed overtures of friendship, their actions the previous day, had not been overly friendly… but then again, they hadn't been avoiding one another like this.

"Girls," said Qui-Gon as Lilia emerged from the bathroom, looking very narrowly at Qui-Gon and her destination on the floor by his side for morning meditation, "We have to discuss today's events before we meditate, so I would appreciate some haste." Maela nodded as she slunk into the bathroom, avoiding Lilia's gaze.

"Good morning, Master Jinn," said Lilia as she sat.

"Good morning, Lilia," said Qui-Gon. He had not even looked up as he focused on wrapping Obi-Wan's wound. "While we wait for Maela, could you please put away your sleep clothes in your case?"

Maela emerged from the bathroom and immediately headed to put her sleep clothes back in her now overflowing case as Lilia had returned to her seat and Obi-Wan got up to put his soiled bandages in the recycler. Maela sat, Obi-Wan put on a shirt, and as the group finally had convened Qui-Gon shifted, gaining everyone's attention. Obi-Wan watched as Qui-Gon took on the air of authority that he had seen often during negotiations, and he knew what we was about to demand of the initiates.

"First of all, apologies." Both Maela and Lilia looked surreptitiously at the other, but looked away again when they caught the other's gaze. Obviously, no one was going to volunteer, Obi-Wan thought, and was glad when Qui-Gon prompted, "Maela?"

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, looking down at the floor covering on her left. She said it as if she sorely wished that she had nothing to be sorry for, but knew she had to be.

"For?" prompted Qui-Gon again. He was studying the initiates with the kind of languid gaze that Obi-Wan knew was actually quite intense. What did Qui-Gon know that he had not yet divulged to his Padawan?

"For making you feel bad," said Maela, looking up, hoping to catch Lilia's eye. Lilia did not look at Maela, but rather had her eyes trained on Qui-Gon.

"Lilia?" prompted Qui-Gon obligingly.

"I'm sorry for yelling," Lilia said quickly, concisely. Obi-Wan considered Lilia's style of apology and realized that Lilia had still not quite forgiven Maela for what she had said. Just like any negotiation, nothing was going to work until both sides were ready to compromise, and Obi-Wan was surprised when Qui-Gon had moved on without having them accept the other's apology.

"Today we're going to disembark on Floresa. We'll be arriving at the capital city early in the morning." Qui-Gon smiled at Obi-Wan, and Obi-Wan reciprocated – they often had these morning debriefings when they were on mission together, and it was nice to be back in the same mission routine after having been bound to the Temple for so long. Obi-Wan's smile had a wry edge to it, though. It wasn't quite the same with the Initiates there, or his arm in a sling, but it was on its way back to normal, and for that he was glad. "We'll be met at the hangar bay by Wolford Valeska, Lilia's…?"

"Grandfather." Maela answered, but then her cheeks grew red and she looked at her fidgeting hands as she realized that she had yet to study.

"Lilia's grandfather, who will be settling us into the ancestral home. The naming ceremony will take place in the early afternoon, and I believe they have a party planning for late into the evening. However, we will not be leaving the ship until afternoon Coruscant-local time." Qui-Gon shot a significant look at his Padawan. Obi-Wan groaned internally, knowing that he would be chastened if he had aloud. If tiredness had caused the previous night's episode, then this day would bring on exhaustion. "So, we're going to modify the day's schedule. Meditation, breakfast, lessons, exercise, midday, nap, and then it should be time to disembark. Do you understand?" The two girls nodded, heads bobbing, eyes still wary of one another. They were supposed to be friends, thought Obi-Wan, and their apologies solved nothing. Qui-Gon caught both girls' gazes, and studied their eyes. Satisfied that they did understand, he nodded and soundlessly began his meditation. He listened as Obi-Wan settled his own breathing, Lilia followed, and Maela rustled for a while until she, too, strove to become one with the Force.

"Master?"

Lilia walked ahead of the group; Maela lagged behind, and in the middle of the small band of Jedi were Master and Padawan. Qui-Gon smiled at nodded at every passerby in the hallway, and then acknowledged his Padawan. "Obi-Wan?"

"Master, you said that you would explain the details of the Council's plan this morning." Obi-Wan's voice was hesitant, and Qui-Gon perceived that he was worried that he was saying the wrong thing to his Master, that he would possibly anger him, and unsure of the consequences.

"I do not believe that you will need a nap, Padawan," said Qui-Gon, chuckling. He laid an arm around Obi-Wan's shoulders, and squeezed Obi-Wan's neck affectionately. _I will tell you more then, I promise,_ he said. _But until then, you should know that I asked Lilia to do something kind for Maela, and asked Maela to give Lilia some space._

Through their telepathic link that was strengthened by direct skin-to-skin touch Qui-Gon would feel Obi-Wan's surprise at the connection, as well as the directions he had given. _But wouldn't Maela giving Lilia space make it harder for Lilia to do something nice?_

_Yes, Padawan, she'll have to give some extra effort. But Maela will also have to be extra considerate of Lilia's feelings. It should prove interesting._

They entered the dining room, and Lilia hovered at their assigned table and pulled out a chair. She stared at Maela, but Maela hung behind Qui-Gon, just barely peaking around the man's large bulk. "Thank you for pulling out my chair, Lilia," said Qui-Gon, taking the seat. He could help but project a great mirth, and Maela smiled too, before pulling out her own chair and climbing up. Lilia huffed and pulled out her own chair, on the other side of Qui-Gon from Maela.

"I wonder what's for breakfast this morning," said Obi-Wan, reaching into the middle of the table to pull out the day's menu on a sheet of flimsy. "I really am hungry."

"You often are," said Qui-Gon, also reaching for menus, and handing one to each Maela and Lilia. "It appears that they are once again serving the excellent plomeek broth that I was persuaded to try yesterday."

"But it was so… soupy… Master." Obi-Wan wrinkled his nose.

"Excellent name then, Padawan," said Qui-Gon. Obi-Wan had to look at his Master to see that there was indeed a hint of mirth in the statement.

"Master Qui-Gon?" asked Maela, tugging on the loose sleeve of his cloak. "Can I have caf?" She spoke quietly.

"No you can't have caf!" blurted Lilia. "That's for Padawans!" Obi-Wan laughed at her exclamation – as if Padawans were all that much older! Lilia, being 10, was old enough to be accepted as a Padawan… but she said that as if Padawans were leagues older, and by implication wiser. Qui-Gon looked at Lilia and she shrunk slightly, and Obi-Wan was sure that his master was reminding her of her task to do something nice without any words. She obviously cared enough for Maela to worry about her possible rule infractions and her perceptions to other people – but her lesson was to do something nice, not alienate her further.

"No, Maela, you may not have caf, it is not a particularly healthful substance," Qui-Gon reasoned. Caf was by no means forbidden in the Order; Master Adi Gallia was famous for her fondness of the drink. But it was expected not to become a hindrance, and as it was a mildly addictive substance, it had the potential. "However, you may have some yughor." Obi-Wan made a face. The choices of breakfast food on this starship had much to be desired, in his opinion.

"Can I have some yughor?" asked Lilia, corrective edge out of her voice and subdued. The gelatinous goup tasted of sour milk, in Obi-Wan's opinion, but both girls had been won over by the fruit that flavored the exotic substance.

"Yes, you may have yughor," said Qui-Gon. "It is not something that we can have at the Temple often. Now, can we all order now that we seem to have decided?" He looked around the arc of Jedi at the table and they nodded. He called over the waiter with a subtle glance.

While Qui-Gon ordered, he had leaned back in his chair to speak with the waiter, which left a clearing at the table where Lilia and Maela could converse if they had been on speaking terms. Instead, Maela was looking down her own nose at a small shell on a leather cord she had tied around her neck, and Lilia was studying her. Obi-Wan found himself studying Lilia studying Maela, and when he thought of it this way he had to fight back laughter. Why was this so complicated?

"I like your necklace," said Lilia, speaking under the breakfast order so as to not disturb Qui-Gon.

Maela looked up, something of panic in her face. "Thank you," she said sincerely. "It's from Metrois." Obi-Wan recognized her home planet, and could see that Lilia had recognized it as well. But the conversation had ended. Maela was no longer playing with her necklace and was instead studying the flatware, pointedly no longer drawing any attention to her trinket. Obi-Wan marveled at the disassembling powers of this youngling – could he have so effectively stopped a conversation? He wondered if all girls had the power, as he knew that an upset Bant could be equally icy, or if it was some particular quirk of the animosity between these two girls.

"Well," said Qui-Gon. "Everything is in order, and as our breakfasts are of the cold and easily prepared variety, it should be along shortly. Are you enjoying your trip?" The girls nodded without much feeling. "I remember my first trip as an Initiate, back in those days they used to take us to a planet whose name in an ancient language meant 'pleasure' and had the initiates camp with their supervisory masters for a week or so…"

Qui-Gon launched into the narrative, catching the attention of his charges, his Padawan, and the other people sharing the table. It was a story that involved mud, Mace Windu, and a competition amongst clans. It distracted them from their animosity, and Obi-Wan appreciated that. It was probably his purpose in the first place.

When the food arrived, the story continued unabated, but when the bowls of yughor, plates of muja, and bowls of plomeek were empty, Qui-Gon stopped the tale. "There will be time for stories later," he promised. "Right now, you have lessons to attend to." Quiet girls were easily shepherded back to the suite, and while Maela picked her dolls up from the floor where they had laid since the incident the night before, Lilia retrieved the lesson pads for both of them.

"Here you go, Maela," she said, a caution in her voice. Obi-Wan was tired of the tone, a tone that was overly polite and thus equally devoid of personality. He would rather they fight than keep on with this fake cheerfulness and false sincerity. Though, he supposed, two younglings acting this way was better than two diplomats doing the same thing.

"Thank you," said Maela, and she took the seat farthest away from Lilia at the small table in the room. She started right in on her work, more studious than Obi-Wan had ever seen her.

"This is going to be a long day," said Obi-Wan to no one.

"Yes, Padawan," said Qui-Gon, voice touched by the virtual continual mirth that had accompanied this assignment. Why did his Master love the unlovable so? "That is why we are going to take a nap."


	9. Explanations, Reconciliations, etc

**A/N:** Are you all tired of this story?

**Christina B** (Did you get the link? I LOVE that archive... being there is like, my greatest dream.), **Knight Queen** (I'm glad you liked it. Hehe..), **Tiamath** (When I got your review, I seriously stared at it for like, five minutes trying to figure out why you were laughing. I'm still not completely sure. Maybe my own humor is a little subtle for me...;) So glad you're back! )

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**Title**: Explanations, Reconciliation and Other "TION" Words

Naptime couldn't have come sooner, the two girls climbing into their beds without much protest. They hadn't been doing much of anything, besides following instructions and avoiding the other's eye. It made Obi-Wan want to scream. His crèche mates, his clan mates, his classmates – no one he knew acted like this! Bruck had been hostile to him, but he had been upfront about it. Bant had been his friend, and she had been upfront about it. These two girls hovered between the two, and they both waited for the other to strike first.

Qui-Gon led Obi-Wan out of their room, as the girls fell asleep, and into an observation lounge down the hallway. "Here, my young apprentice, we will address your concerns."

"I don't know where to start, Qui-Gon," said Obi-Wan, studying his hands, then looking out at the blackness of normal space as the starship used a normal engine to approach Floresa. "I guess I have a general uneasiness about them."

"They have great potential, Obi-Wan." By this statement, Obi-Wan knew there was much more to the story, but he waited patiently as Qui-Gon gathered his thoughts, studying his Padawan's face. "As you know, I brought both girls to be Initiates." Obi-Wan nodded, and a faint smile passed over his Master's lips. "Lilia has a long line of Jedi in her family; the family lore had passed down the signs in an infant through the ages. Maela's blood was tested at a young age for a routine check required by a militarized system of medicine. They were both under a year old when I brought them to the Temple."

"Why are they having problems, then?" interrupted Obi-Wan, surprised. "I mean, I'd think that attachments from before would be the most damaging to a Jedi education."

"Attachments are not forbidden in the simplest interpretations of the Jedi Code, Obi-Wan, and you know this just as well or better then I since you've become the scholar of the two of us." Obi-Wan looked away from his mentor, realizing his error, suddenly becoming highly interested in the triangular patterned carpet. "It is flaws within the Jedi system that have caused the flaws the Council now seeks to rectify. They are apparently severe enough that the Council of Training referred it to the High Council."

A myriad of emotions passed over Obi-Wan's face, with the talks of the flaws of the Jedi, but he tried to focus on what his Master was saying instead of the implications. "But referred _what_, Master?"

Qui-Gon's face sobered, reflecting the seriousness of the statements he had just made. He continued, despite the distasteful premise. "Have you been able to help Lilia?"

"No, not even with her math." Obi-Wan shook his head. "She seems to think that I would deliberately give her a wrong answer, or steer her astray."

"She does not trust," he said simply. "The Jedi allow young ones out of the crèche to start becoming familiar with mission logs, and most have no reason to. But she has become familiar with her aunt and great uncle's missions – and her great uncle was betrayed."

Obi-Wan became ashen. "What?"

"Master Younglas, may he be one with the Force, was on a mission to stop organized kidnapping and genocide on a rim world, when a conspiracy of circumstances as well as the 'good' intentions of the peasantry betrayed him and lead to his death." A great sadness tainted his voice. He could not scorn an entire people, Obi-Wan knew, but he could feel sorry for the way they had been led. "Lilia, while shielded from the majority of the details, is aware of the public's role in her Uncle's death and thus does not trust." Obi-Wan had no words. He had known that he could read mission logs from the time he turned eight, but he never had – and thus his own rude introduction into the galaxy at the hands of a Hutt. Though Obi-Wan's reverie, Qui-Gon continued. "Has Maela asked any uncomfortable questions?"

He focused on the task at hand with some difficulty, shaking off the remembrance of that trip to Bandomeer. A slow trickle of people were coming into the lounge to observe the planet as they approached. "She asked me if I thought she would make a good Padawan, yesterday." Qui-Gon waited for him to continue, to realize that he had more to tell. "It's such an uncomfortable question, because how can one _know_ if an initiate will be chosen? I told her that she had qualities that I thought a Master would value in a Padawan, and she just smiled." He paused for a moment. "Then she said that I had handled the question well."

"Yes, part of your unease was probably due to her examination of your emotional reaction." Obi-Wan blanched. "According to the reports from her Masters, Maela has an extraordinary connection to the Living Force, causing her to be empathic to a large degree. But she has no idea how to contain it or to use it constructively."

"I don't want her in my head, Master," he said seriously, and began to rethink all of the encounters he had had with the small girl for as long as he had known her.

Qui-Gon smiled softly. "She is only eight-years-old, Padawan. I doubt her intrusions are all that elegant. If you find her there, tell her to stop." Obi-Wan relaxed slightly, realizing that he would not be caught unawares.

"Is that what caused the fight between the two of them?" He saw with sudden clarity the fight of the previous night.

"Yes. Maela told Lilia one of Lilia's emotions and extrapolated something from it that hit on one of Lilia's fears. She intimated that Lilia's family might not love her, a subject that she, I believe, is torn about. She is afraid that her family does not love her, because she is unsure if, as a Jedi, if she should love them. But Maela is strong enough in the Living Force that she probably could tell us what Master Yoda is feeling at a short distance. It makes her perceptions hard to ignore."

"And makes our work is cut out for us," Obi-Wan said sardonically. "How will becoming friends help them?"

"Lilia does not trust Maela's assertions, and thus Maela cannot hold that power over Lilia. But Maela has a great capacity for friendship, fiercely loyal, just as Lilia needs. They'll learn to trust one another, and correct the other's faults."

"How does Master Yoda think of these schemes?" said Obi-Wan in disbelief, holding his head in his uninjured hand.

"Indeed," said Qui-Gon, with considerable thought. He paused for a moment, a peaceful moment where they could just enjoy the other's company as they had been unable to for weeks. Then he spoke. "Do you remember the question that Master Yoda asked you in the Council briefing before they gave us the chaperoning assignment?"

Obi-Wan looked into Qui-Gon's eyes in disbelief. "That's part of this too?"

"Do you remember?"

"He asked me who put the initiates on the path to become a Master."

"Yes, keep that in mind, Padawan. I believe you will discover that answer soon."

* * *

They had gone to their naps without much protest, but neither girl was asleep. Lilia was waiting for Maela's breath to even out and for her to stop rustling her sheets, but as the minutes dragged on Lilia was afraid that Master Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan would come back before she had a chance to do what she had to. She reached into the pocket of her outer tunic and pulled out the small green figure that she had carried there since she had come into possession of it in the Temple two days before.

"Here," she said, lying on her chest and dangling her arm below the bunk so that Maela could reach up and take the toy. "I think you'd want Master Yoda back."

There was a rustling in the bed below as Lilia guessed Maela was twisting out of her covers to reach up and gently take the doll away from her fellow Initiate. "Thank you," she said softly. Lilia's chest clinched, Maela had thanked her for everything she had done all morning, but nothing got Maela talking. Qui-Gon had promised that Maela would start talking when Lilia had done the right thing.

"You didn't have to give him back," she continued, grabbing one of the support beams on the sleep couch and leaning out of the bed to see Lilia who was leaning over the edge and looking down. "I knew you had him, and I didn't think you'd hurt him."

"I would be afraid that someone had stolen him by now!" said Lilia in surprise.

"No, you were with me. If we had been in the Temple still, and if I hadn't seen you again yet, I might try to find you and talk to you again. But I wouldn't ask for him back." Maela put him in her pocket anyway. "Thank you for giving him back."

Lilia looked down at the younger girl and was marveling that she hadn't minded that she had kept the Yoda doll so long. They looked at each other for a long moment and then Lilia spoke again, hoping to keep this tenuous line of communication open. "Why do you make dolls anyway?"

"They help me meditate," she said, patting the bulge in her pocket that was Yoda.

"Yeah, I know," said Lilia. "But how'd you get the idea? No one else that I know of makes dolls."

Maela's eyes grew serious, and she studied Lilia. Lilia suppressed the urge to look away. "Do you really want to know?"

"Yeah," said Lilia, unflinchingly.

"You promise not to make fun of me?" she asked again seriously. "I don't want to show you if you're going to make fun of me."

"I won't make fun of you," Lilia promised. As soon as she had received assurances, Maela ducked back into the sleep couch to turn on the sheets so that her legs stuck out and she leaped to the floor, landing quietly as a Jedi should. Lilia moved towards the other end of her bed, better to watch Maela as she headed to her drawers. She pulled open the drawer that held the box of Master dolls, but instead liberated a much smaller box, in a similar design. She walked over to the bunk and held open the box to Lilia.

"Don't open it," she said when Lilia took it, and began climbing up the ladder to join Lilia in her sleep couch. Lilia wondered why she had trusted her not to open the box – it was so tempting. When Maela had settled herself, she reached to take the box back and set it on the bed in front of her folded legs. "I wanted to come up here since we got here, but you got this bunk," Maela explained, as she looked around.

Lilia wasn't to be stirred from her curiosity. "What's in the box?" she asked, gesturing towards the plain box.

"My mother made them," Maela said by way of explanation as she lifted the lid. She handed Lilia the first doll, a man in a uniform, starch white with gleaming buttons, the same size as most of the human Master dolls. She pulled out the next doll, a woman with a woolen dress, lined with fur, just slightly shorter than the other doll. And finally she pulled out a little girl doll – she recognized it as Maela, with short red hair and Jedi robes. "It's my family," she said.

"They're pretty," said Lilia. She meant it, the embroidery was amazing, and their clothes had the tiniest details. The little Maela doll even wore the same necklace as Maela did, but in a tiny, miniaturized size.

"My crèche Master let me keep them," said Maela. "Because they show me where I came from – look, my eyes are like my dad's, and my mouth is like my mom's." Maela was right; the dolls' features were mirrored in their doll-daughter. "But when I started having trouble concentrating at meditating, she got the idea to have me make dolls."

"Why'd you show me this?" asked Lilia. She didn't even want this girl learning about her family because she was about to meet them, and Maela was showing her miniature family portraits!

"Because, you asked. And because I don't think you'll tell anyone." Maela's voice dropped. "And because I hurt you and I hope you'll forgive me for real."

Lilia was silenced for a moment, afraid that Maela was going to cry. She thought about all the ways that she could forgive her, but couldn't find any that wouldn't prompt a hug or something. She gave up. "Do you think your mom could make a doll of me?"

Maela smiled and looked shyly up the other girl. "I could make a doll of you."

"But I've seen your dolls," said Lilia. "And your mom makes better ones." She hoped she was projecting a gentle teasing into her voice.

"We could ask her, but I don't know. I think I saw her when I was four, but I haven't seen her since. I hope she will." She slowly put the dolls back into the box, first herself, then her mother, and then her father.

"I hope so too," Lilia said, smiling.. "But if not, you could make one of me."

"I will," Maela promised. "I guess we really should take a nap."

"The sleep couch is big enough, you could stay here."

"No," said Maela. "I'd be afraid I'd fall off." She hitched her leg off the side of the bed and onto the rail below. Holding tightly, she swung her other leg over as well. "Can you hand me the box when I get to the bottom?"

"Yup," said Lilia, something bubbling within her that she decided to call happiness. She did not know if she could now fall asleep.


	10. First Impressions

**A/N**: Hello out there in fanfiction land! Today, Wednesday, is my birthday. And I would like reviews. (Yes, I am a review grubbing h0r. Not.) This chapter is my birthday gift to you!

Thank you to: **Pirate Rhi **(Not sure I can promise that... but I hope you like it anyway...), **Crydwyn **(Enjoy!), **Tiamath **(Your review made me gloat to myself for a few minutes. AAaaah:reader love:), **Knight Queen **(Doing my best to keep up a steady posting schedule as well as writing the story!), **Kenobi-girl1 **(I hope I have a gift for story telling... I know I try. No other stories, unless you like other fandoms...)

You know, I think I'm finally getting to the plot. Certifable plot. With like, a villan and a victim and Jedi antics. But not until the chapter after next. Eee! Enjoy! Please tell me what you think!

* * *

Wolford Valeska scanned the trickling lines of people slowly making their way down from the cruiser, looking for a small band in drab tones. He didn't mind the wait, enjoying the hustle and bustle of the spaceport, with the various duty-free shops that lined the walls, the wide bright causeways, and the people hurrying from place to place. Some people even managed to take a more leisurely stroll – but he watched those people carefully, more likely to be planning some sort of heist of tourist's pockets. Wolford spotted his visitors at the end of the straggling line and stepped out of the eves of the spaceport to meet them. 

He had used his clout as the former chief of police to get into the hanger to wait for his grandbaby, but he knew he could not use it to get his guests out. He approached the small band of Jedi as the man he knew to be Qui-Gon Jinn chose a low traffic area to stand in, as if a rock parting a stream.

"Great welcome and many lucks," he said in a respectful voice, bowing his head in a sort of reverence. The Master bowed his head as well, but it was his granddaughter who returned the traditional greeting.

"Many thanks and many returns," she said in a tentative voice, strong enough to be heard. The other small girl looked at his granddaughter in surprise, but he paid her no mind. He was so proud of his Lilia, she had grown so much in the two standard years since he had seen her last, she wore her robes so well and hadn't forgotten her native customs. He smiled again and allowed his moment of indulgent pride to pass. He looked up at the Master Jedi.

"Master Valeska," Qui-Gon said in greeting. "It is good to see you again." By lifting his hands out of the cuffs and shaking them free, he managed to draw Wolford's attention to the whole of the party. "This is my apprentice, Obi-Wan Kenobi."

"Good to meet you, sir," said Obi-Wan, holding out his hand. Wolford chuckled and shook the young man's hand.

"Good to meet you, son!" he said heartily. "You look hungry, I know just the thing to feed you tonight at the party! Who is this other young thing?" he asked, gesturing at the girl he had noticed earlier.

"My other young traveling companion, Maela Nuccio," said Qui-Gon by introduction.

Maela looked up at Wolford and smiled. "Nice to meet you," she said. "Many returns?" Wolford chuckled as she was so unsure of the response to the greeting.

"Studying up on Floresan customs, hm?" he said. "It is good to meet a friend of Lilia's," he said. Both girls smiled. "Well now, good friends, you must pass through our inspections. Despite my lingering prestige, which allowed me to meet you here, I cannot help you through them." He picked up the cases that the girls had been carrying, one in each arm, and looked back at the group. "But, perhaps, you have your own prestige to help you through them." Wolford chortled and lead them over the checkpoint, the one that frequent travelers used. He handed the bags he had been carrying to the guard there. "I will meet you on the other side," and he exited through the entrance to the guard's post.

"Master Wolford's youngest daughter is Jedi Knight Albina Valeska," Qui-Gon said, mostly for Obi-Wan's benefit.

"Can I see your identification?" asked the guard. Qui-Gon produced a thick packet, holding all of the ids for the group. He handed one to Lilia, and she handed it to the guard.

"She's my aunt," said Lilia. "She visits me when she's at the Temple." Maela received her identification disk next, and moved down the line to the next available table.

"Master Valeska looked curiously at Lilia, Master." Obi-Wan stood by Qui-Gon's side as he supervised the search of the two girls.

"Master Wolford, Obi-Wan." Qui-Gon placed his hand on his Padawan's shoulder affectionately. "He will insist that you call him by his first name. Floresa is home to a hospitable people, seeped in tradition. As for his curious look, do you think he poses some threat to us?"

"Of course not Master," Obi-Wan said, embarrassed. He paused, forming his next phrase carefully, afraid that he would be intimating something that he did not mean. "It's just… I wondered what he was thinking." Obi-Wan moved forward to take the place where Lilia's search had finished, Lilia moving down the line to the side.

"I believe we have the ability to tell you," said Qui-Gon. "Maela?"

Maela's eyes grew wide and she felt pleasure spread from her inside out at being asked her opinion. A Master wanted her opinion! Maela saw that her search was finished, her bag resealed, and Qui-Gon approached to take his turn at the inspection. She took both hands and felt her arm muscles creak as she drug the bag off of the table and let it swing to the ground. "Pride," she said finally. She had known the answer since she saw the man. Maela turned to Lilia who smiled. "Your grandpa is proud of you."

"I know," said Lilia quietly. "He's proud that I am a Jedi. He says so whenever I see him."

"So you see, Obi-Wan, not so much a mystery." Qui-Gon said over his shoulder as his search commenced. At its completion, he picked up his bag, and caught the eyes of everyone in the group. He started towards the next room and the next line, something Maela felt her pleasure fading at the sight, but a uniformed man stopped Qui-Gon.

"This way sir. You do not need to speak with immigration."

"The Jedi Order thanks you for your Cooperation," said Qui-Gon graciously, and the man lead the group behind the people at desks who were questioning all of the holiday seekers and immigrants, towards the front of the building, and out into the sun. Maela slowed down as they passed the desks, trying to see what they were asking, and what they were working on, but was hurried forward anyway.

"Do you require transportation?" asked the man, standing rigid at attention. Qui-Gon looked at his insignia.

"No thank you, Captain. We have someone waiting for us."

"Jon," cried Wolford, lifting himself from the molded chairs that sat along the front windows of the building. "I'm so glad that you helped them past immigration!"

"Wol," said the man named Jon affectionately, a smile cracking the professional exterior. Maela smiled as well – there was a long relationship between the two, it felt surer than her relationship with Maela, and even Obi-Wan's relationship with Qui-Gon. "I didn't know that these were _your_ Jedi."

Wolford laughed aloud, indulging his younger friend who smiled also to see his friend so happy. "Only this one," he said, squeezing Lilia around the shoulders. Lilia cringed at the touch and Maela felt sorry for her. "Meet my granddaughter, Lilia."

"Welcome and luck," Jon said, stooping slightly to her eye-level.

"Thanks and returns," said Lilia shyly.

"Well, we have to get going," said Wolford. "The naming ceremony is this afternoon and we have to get ready." Maela could tell that he was immensely proud of the naming ceremony, probably his whole family. She was glad. Families were worth pride.

"Of course," said Jon. "I have to get back to work." He smiled again and returned to the building.

"Jon is such a nice boy. I met him when he was a rookie in the capital. He proved himself worthy over the years to work spaceport security. Hard worker. Nice family," said Wolford offhandedly. "The motor is this way." He grinned and Maela knew he was hiding something. "And there's a surprise waiting." It was a happy something.

The walk was short, and the parking space prime. There was a person leaning against the 'motor' – as Wolford had described it – who Lilia recognized at once. "Aunt Bina!" she shouted, dropping her bag and running to close the distance between them. The woman kneeled and opened her arms for a hug.

"Is this Knight Valeska?" asked Obi-Wan.

"It appears so, Padawan," said Qui-Gon. Wolford had picked up Lilia's bag and continued towards the motor with a wide grin. Qui-Gon spoke to Albina. "We were not expecting you here." Maela was bursting with questions, but she kept silent. They weren't questions so much, she thought, as wanting to be seen. Ever since they got to Floresa, no one seemed to see her.

"It's merely a layover on my way to important negotiations to be hosted on Corelia," said Albina off-handedly. "How could I resist the chance to see my whole family at once?"

"I do not blame you," said Qui-Gon laughing. The laughs echoed in the duracrete structure and reminded Qui-Gon of where he was. He gave his case to Wolford, who had opened the rear hatch of the motor and starting stowing the bags.

"It is only for today, I understand you will be staying for two." Qui-Gon nodded to the implied question. "I'm to receive a transmission from the Council tonight regarding the details of the summit to be meditated on in transit."

"Will it take you away from the celebrations long, Bina?" asked Wolford.

"No, father, not for long," she assured. Albina turned to her niece. "You and I have parts to play in this naming ceremony, are you ready?"

Lilia made a face, and Maela tugged on her sleeve. "I'll be there," said Maela. "You don't have to worry." Maela remembered what Qui-Gon had said the night before, about how she would want to be treated, and she tried to tell Lilia. She hoped Lilia appreciated it.

"Everyone in the motor," announced Wolford. "We've got places to go and people to see!" Qui-Gon climbed into the passenger seat, with Albina and Lilia in the middle pilot seats, with Obi-Wan and Maela in the back. Maela strained to hear what was going on in the rest of the motor.

"Don't worry," said Albina to Lilia in an undertone. "This will be painless. You have to dress up, you have to wear a remembrance, you'll light a candle, and then you just stand around looking pretty." Lilia didn't say anything, but stared at her clasped. Albina redirected her attention. "Well, Qui-Gon. Long time, no see."

"You know Knight Valeska?" asked Obi-Wan, speaking slightly above his normal volume to be heard above the noise of the engine.

"Oh, Force, yes," said Albina. "And call me Albina. His first Padawan and I were the best of friends." Albina looked back at Obi-Wan, turning around in her seat. "Though, she was never abused as you were."

"That was a training injury," said Qui-Gon. "And there is a bacta shortage. This chaperoning mission was deemed a low priority."

A dark look passed over Albina's face. "Yes, I am aware. That is part of the reason that I am heading to Corellia."

"That's been all over the news," said Wolford, turning towards the conversation slightly, yet somehow never taking his eyes off of the air traffic. "Something about a syndicate problem, possible war."

"Yes," said Albina. "The situation is turning quite tense." That comment silenced the conversation.

"What's the naming ceremony for?" asked Maela, suddenly. She was uncomfortable with that particular silence, and besides, she had been wondering, ever since she read the description of it. "The file already said that the baby's name is Braidyn."

Albina laughed. "Direct one, isn't she?" Maela didn't like the comment that was directed towards Qui-Gon. She narrowed her eyes. "I didn't catch your name." Maela didn't answer right away, she didn't think that she really should have to after Albina said that about her.

"Maela Nuccio, meet Albina Valeska," said Qui-Gon. Maela glared at him through the seats, but wasn't sure he noticed. Albina did, though.

"You're not going to be the center of attention here, Maela," she said. "Braidyn will be first, as it is his Naming. Yes, he has a name, but his Naming is his formal introduction into the family, and his formal introduction into society. Lilia and I will probably be next, as we are relatives that are not seen often. But you and Obi-Wan will probably not be paid much attention to." She said this all in a rather stern voice. "It would behoove you to find a way to entertain yourself rather than resent the fact that you are not the center of attention."

Maela raged silently. She wasn't trying to be the center of attention! she thought as blood flushed her cheeks, radiating heat and her head filled with anger that prevented her from hearing the rest of the conversation in the car. She just wanted to know what was going on! She only asked a question! She knew she wasn't going to be the center of attention, it wasn't her family. _She was just trying to know what was going on!_ Maela stared out the window of the motor all the way to Wolford's house, and the only one that noticed was Obi-Wan, who touched her shoulder and asked if she was all right. She nodded, but didn't look at him. She didn't want to cry aloud.


	11. Remembrances

**A/N:** Wow, are you all tired of this story? Eleven of you have this story on alert, and I got three reviews. Now, I understand not reviewing all the time, but I even told you it was my birthday and only three of you reivewed!

Anyway, thank you to: **Tiamath** (I love the fact that you said that Maela had been doing well. Awww...), **Crydwyn** (I don't know what the heck happened in that scene. It took on a life of its own. I think she was just being curious.), **Christina B** (Drama? I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing...)

On with the story.

* * *

**Chapter 11**: Remembrances

The hall that Druin and Cessie Valeska, Lilia's aunt and uncle, had rented for their son's naming reminded Obi-Wan of the room that held the Healing Crystals of Fire. The main hall – where the ceremony would take place as well as where the food would be served – had broad steps that sunk into the ground in an amphitheater style, and people sat clustered in family and friend groups on these steps, and they formed many arcs around the center focus, a kind of stage. Early afternoon sunlight streamed into the room thus necessitating very little artificial lighting in the room.

Lilia's grandmother, Olivie, had shown Obi-Wan a seat – an arbitrary one, it seemed – and taken Maela with her to do "women's work" as she had phrased it, in preparation for the ceremony. Obi-Wan frowned, knowing that he was probably placed conveniently out of the way while everyone else did some heavy lifting. He didn't know where Qui-Gon was, and Lilia had been escorted away much earlier for a fitting and some sort of instruction. Obi-Wan studied the crowds for a while, unsure of what he was looking for. In any other mission, at any other time, he'd be looking for suspicious activity or something, not just sitting there obviously alone.

Lilia's extended family, at least the maternal side, had been exceedingly nice to the small band of Jedi. They were staying in Wolford's house, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan in one guestroom and Maela in another – Lilia was staying the guestroom in her parent's house just across a quiet suburban street. They were plied with food and drink and offered all the comforts of home, but the attention wasn't on the guests, but impending event and it wasn't too long before everyone was back in the "motor" and taken to the nearby Celebration Center where Lilia was taken to learn her part in the ceremony, Qui-Gon was introduced to some important person in the city, and Obi-Wan and Maela were left to their own devices. That is, until Maela was taken under Olivie's wing and Obi-Wan left to wait. He hoped that there wouldn't be too much more of a wait.

He sensed Qui-Gon's nearness, and waved to his Master as he entered the room, and Qui-Gon came over to his Padawan. "Enjoying yourself, Obi-Wan?"

Obi-Wan smiled wanly. "This is certainly an interesting tradition, Master," said Obi-Wan.

"You'll see more soon," said Qui-Gon. "The tradition is fascinating. A lot of symbolism, and a lot of community identity. Not unlike being a Jedi."

"Master Qui-Gon!" exclaimed a short man with thinning hair and an expensive looking suit. "I wondered where you had run off to! Come, come, sit with me in the VIP section." Qui-Gon gave Obi-Wan a half pleading look. He stood, and gripped his shoulder before he left. _I'll spare you introductions to the Mayor_, he told his Padawan. _I think you'll enjoy the Naming with the help of that boy there. _Qui-Gon used his head to point out a boy just outside of Obi-Wan's personal space bubble, who had thus gone unnoticed. Obi-Wan turned to look, and by the time he had turned back his Master had been claimed by important persons unknown.

"Hello," said Obi-Wan, when the boy snuck a look. "My name's Obi-Wan."

The boy turned crimson at being caught at his spying. "Bry.Well, it's really Bryant, but call me Bry."

"Bry," repeated Obi-Wan. He stuck out his uninjured hand, and they exchanged an ackward handshake.

"I see my father has claimed your companion." Bry gestured vaguely at where the Mayor had gone, voice tinged with bitterness.

"The Mayor is your father?" Obi-Wan asked, surprised.

Bry looked at Obi-Wan critically. "How did you know he was the Mayor?"

Obi-Wan blushed, realizing that Bry hadn't been aware of the wordless exchange – how could he have been – and Obi-Wan found himself wary to explain. "My Master told me where he was going earlier."

"Just as well," said Bry with some conviction in his voice. "Father tends to bore kids to death anyway. Probably because he ignores their presence. He says its how he survived in politics all these years."

"Then why are you here?" Obi-Wan.

"Because Les Rhyne works with my father," the boy named Lilia's father, "and he's always nice to me. He invited me and told me I could meet some Jedi." Bry looked sideways at Obi-Wan, and Obi-Wan suspected that he was half waiting for Obi-Wan to dismiss him or say he wasn't a Jedi.

"Well, you found one," said Obi-Wan. He shrugged. "I don't look like much with my arm bandaged like this, but I am Jedi."

"How'd that happen?" asked Bry, eyes eager. He was certainly expecting something exciting.

Obi-Wan smiled tightly. "Lightsaber training. It would be all healed, but there's a Bacta shortage…"

Bry nodded solemnly. "Yeah, I hear all about that over the dinner table. You'd think that the Jedi would have some special privileges."

"No," said Obi-Wan, shaking his head. "We're just like everyone else in the galaxy. We have to wait in lines, we have to deal with shortages…" Bry made a sound like he didn't quite believe what Obi-Wan said. "Really," said Obi-Wan. "We are… fallible."

"What's fallible mean?" asked Maela, coming up behind Obi-Wan and sitting next to him. She sat at the end of the step, smoothing her skirt under her bottom and sitting close to Obi-Wan's knee. Surprise and then a warm sensation that Obi-Wan couldn't quite identify filled Obi-Wan and he reached out a hand to her shoulder and then let it drop.

"Uh…" Obi-Wan groped for a simpler word. "It means that Jedi can fail."

Maela made a face. "I don't like that."

Obi-Wan shrugged. "We are only mortal." Secretly, he didn't like it either. He looked back over at Bry who had an expectant look on his face. "Oh, Maela, this is Bry."

Bry smiled. "Hello. Are you a Jedi too?"

Maela nodded and turned to Obi-Wan. "Miss Olivie said to tell you that the ceremony would start soon."

"What have you been doing?" asked Obi-Wan.

"Making bread," said Maela. "Don't know what for."

"Bread? What does bread have to do with a Naming ceremony?"

"You've never been to a Naming?" asked Bry in surprised. "No, of course not. You're Jedi." He shook his head, as if to clear his head of the thought. "Well then, this will take some explaining." He pointed down the stage. "See the.." he trailed off. "I'll just have to explain it as it's happening. I haven't been to one in a while."

"What's a remembrance?" asked Maela. Obi-Wan remembered what Knight Valeska had said in the motor and gave Maela a look of begrudging respect. It was a good question to ask.

Bry reached up towards the collar of his shirt and Obi-Wan noticed for the first time the leather cord that hung there. But in the moment before he answered the question, a hush descended over the hall, and instead Bry pointed towards the center. "It's starting," he whispered. "They're bringing out the Gifts."

Lilia's grandmother Olivie, her mother Geneel, and her Aunt Albina each carried an object. They walked slowly from the back of the stage, a soft and haunting melody the only sound in the room. "They carry the Gifts of Floresa, the ones that they've helped to prepare for Braidyn. Ms. Geneel went to the mountains this past week to procure the wine," said Bry, narrating the actions from left to right. "Ms. Olivie baked bread that was grown from grain that Mr. Wolford ground. It's sweet bread, each family's recipe closely guarded." Bry smiled. "The Valeska recipe is rumored to be really good. They're to serve it at the party afterwards."

"I helped make that," said Maela, leaning towards Obi-Wan and whispering. Obi-Wan smiled and patted her arm again.

"Knight Albina carries water – the water of the river Imper, the river that allowed farming to begin on Floresa generations ago." Bry smiled. "All to nourish the body and soul, the Gifts of Floresa provide life." The three women placed their objects on a low table near center stage, and sat so that they could see the stage and still be seen.

Next, onto the stage came Les, Lilia's father. He was wearing a formal suit, and carried an official looking piece of paper. "Mr. Rhyne is the Sponsor," said Bry. "The family member or close friend with the most prestige sponsors the child. Les has Sponsored nearly 50 children, and it's a great honor for him to preside."

"Who sponsored you?" asked Maela.

"Master Younglas," said Bry with a small smile.

"May he be one with the Force," murmured Obi-Wan and Maela.

"Why do you need Sponsors?" asked Obi-Wan. "Besides to preside over the ceremony, I mean."

"I learned in history class that when Floresa was a fledgling colony, long before it became part of the Republic, they did not know if they could feed a new generation of colonists, but they couldn't stop people from having children, so they made a child's citizenship based upon their parent's ability to keep them healthy." Bry whispered as Les read from the official paper. Obi-Wan, listening with half a mind, noted that it was an assessment of Braidyn's physical state. "If they weren't healthy, they wouldn't be entitled to benefits, so it became a mark of pride to have children who were citizens. And, as Floresa became a successful world, healthy children were a sign that people were able to keep the planet in high standing."

"And thus, stating that the Son of Cessie and Druin Valeska is fit to take on Gifts and Responsibility of Floresa, I shall Sponsor this child," said Les from the stage. He said this louder, and with more authority, and the audience answered.

"Bring him forward," they murmured together. Bry murmured with them, the action so ingrained that he paused a moment and did not feel the need to explain the chorus. Soon the cherubic child was led forward by his parents, one holding each small hand. His face was serious, as if he understood the gravity of this moment, but one could not take him completely seriously because of the tumble of light brown curls that crowded his face and hid his ears.

"He is healthy," said Les in a booming voice on the stage. "He is well nourished, well cared for, and will one day be an upstanding citizen, contributing to Floresa. We know that fate takes many forms and the future is not certain, but I recommend that this child receive the Gifts of Floresa, for as long as he deserves them."

"Eat and drink," murmured the crowd again.

"What does he mean," asked Obi-Wan, "about deserving the gifts?" He remembered what Qui-Gon had said about Floresa not playing eugenics, but this sounded as if Qui-Gon's off-hand comment may have some basis in fact.

"If someone breaks a serious law, like murdering someone or like, betraying the government, they become unnamed, and are no longer citizens. Sometimes, you family can unnamed you – but it doesn't change your citizenship. You still exist, but not to your family."

"Braidyn," said Les. "Your aunts have something for you to drink." Braidyn's parents let go of his hands and Obi-Wan's heart clinched. They looked at Braidyn with the same look that Wolford had at seeing Lilia, and he knew this time it was pride. But there was also something heart wrenching, he realized, in the symbolic letting go of their toddler's hand.

Braidyn had no fear. He stepped up to Geneel and took her glass of wine. "This is the lifeforce of the valleys in the north, Braidyn," said Geneel, spotting the glass to keep it from falling and to keep drips from his clothes. "It feeds you, too." Geneel took the glass from the boy as he finished his drink, and set it back on the table.

Albina gently beckoned the child to her, and handed him a glass of water. "This water is of the River Imper. Drink it, as the plants do, grow big and strong and share in their strength."

"Braidyn," said Olivie. "When the plants have gained their strength, they give their strength to us. They make our bread, and feed our cattle – this bread I have baked will feed your body. Eat this, as our memories have for generation." She handed Braidyn a small slice of the bread, which he hesitantly put into his mouth, and upon tasting it, quickly shoved more in. The crowd chuckled indulgently.

"Braidyn, your grandmother has asked you to eat, and you have." Les announced this with a smile in his voice. "You have accepted the Gifts of Floresa and are a half citizen. You need to take the Responsibility."

"Bring it forward," murmured the guests.

"This is the remembrance," whispered Bry. He caught Maela's eye to be sure she would know what he meant.

Lilia walked out onto the stage, wearing a long dress in a dark color that suited her. It was formal, but the cut was wide and accented the child in the dress. She wore a necklace that was glittering in the light of the afternoon sun streaming in through the window.

"That looks like a lightsaber crystal," said Obi-Wan. "A minor crystal. On her necklace." He was surprised. Lilia had not yet constructed her lightsaber, and even if she had, it would be unlikely that she would have an extra crystal to wear as jewelry.

"Braidyn," said Les. "Your cousin has a gift for you." Lilia walked up to her young cousin, and held out a stone on a leather cord. Braidyn reached for it, and then Lilia positioned the child to tie it around his neck. As she did, Les continued speaking. "This stone is to remind you of your responsibility to Floresa – that your actions are ever without consequences and your wrong doings will always weigh heavily on you. There are none among us who are fit not to wear a remembrance, we all need that reminder." All around the semicircular room, people pulled out necklaces. Bry pulled the leather cord out from under his shirt and on the end was a stone. Obi-Wan reached into his tunic pocket where he kept the stone Qui-Gon gave him for his 13th birthday. It was warm to the touch, pulsing with the energy in the room. He did it surreptitiously. It wasn't strictly part of the ritual… Responsibility – was this another meaning of that gift from Qui-Gon?

"I give you my remembrance, Braidyn," said Lilia, voice grave. "I give you the remembrance that was given to me on my Naming, because my Sponsor gave me a new one with his death." She touched the stone around her neck. "I give you my remembrance, and with this gift, you are a citizen of Floresa." Lilia stepped back and cleared the way for Braidyn's parents, who had been standing on the side watching the proceedings, to come in and swoop him up in their arms, covering him in kisses.

"Braidyn," said Les.

"Braidyn," said the Valeska family.

"Braidyn," said all the guests. They said his name again and again, giving Obi-Wan the chills. Poor Braidyn grew frightened, face screwing up and tears rolling down his face. The room rang with the sound of the name, and just when Obi-Wan thought that the sound would become unbearable, the guests all simultaneously burst into applause, and pushed forward to congratulate the family.


End file.
